


No Wings

by TheARTboss



Category: Haikyuu!!, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, BNHA compliant up to chapter 282, Bakudeku slow burn, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, But they have a lot to work out, Canon-Typical Violence, Endeavor is also a little obsessed, Established Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin, F/F, F/M, HQ!! compliant for entire run, Hawks is love with Endeavor, Hinata and Kageyama are second years, I take things too seriously, M/M, Monoma swears a lot, Not so slow for others, On-Again/Off-Again Relationship, Teens have crushes, There are a lot of side relationships, Tried to make as canon compliant as possible while also doing what I want, Vigilantes characters make an appearance, Will not be tagged, and fluff, but i'll still try to be compliant, but they are a slow burn, class 1-a is now class 3-a, definitely deviating from canon the further we get in, each chapter has its own content warnings, for obvious reasons, just a little bit, only pairings that have sex will be tagged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:27:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 202,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26204149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheARTboss/pseuds/TheARTboss
Summary: It's their third and final year of high school and Bakugo just wants to make sure Deku makes it out alive, but when Deku vanishes on their intern patrol, Bakugo's life suddenly takes a turn.Deku just wants to save everybody but how can he save the world when the he finds himself in a place that doesn't have any quirks? What will happen to his friends? And why does everyone care so much about volleyball here?
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Toogata Mirio, Amajiki Tamaki/Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku, Iida Tenya/Todoroki Shouto, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Monoma Neito/Shinsou Hitoshi, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Takami Keigo | Hawks/Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin
Comments: 196
Kudos: 249





	1. Where have all the good men gone?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bakugo felt like he had been dropped a hundred feet as he landed face first in the rubble. He shot up, ready to chase after Deku but the green haired teen and Eri were gone.
> 
> They were gone.
> 
> Deku was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Update note** Chapters 1 & 2 have officially been updated from their original text on 09/12/2020. 
> 
> Canon compliant note:   
> MHA canon up to chapter 282. Haikyuu canon for the whole series. I will do my best to stay canon compliant, but I will also twist things to fit my needs as I write the story.
> 
> Author’s Note about the story:   
> This is something that I wanted to write for a while but never got around to it. Then suddenly HQ!! was over and people started falling like flies in recent BNHA chapters and I realized if I wanted to write this story then I need to get it out now. I will try to update weekly, but that schedule might change. I really hope you like this story, it's the first time I've written anything like this and I've been looking forward to this challenge.
> 
> It is 2013 in HQ!! World, so some pop culture references might be dated. Also, in japan, the adult age doesn’t change to 18 until 2022 so in this story, they aren’t considered adults until they are 20. In BNHA, I’m saying that they are considered adults as soon as they turn 18 and this is part of hero culture where someone can start their own agency as soon as they graduate. ((Example: Hawks.)) I will not tag an underage warning for the story, but I will call it out in the content warnings at the bottom of the chapter if it happens in that specific chapter. 
> 
> **Content Warnings will always be at the bottom of each chapter to avoid giving off spoilers UNLESS I feel like it's something I need to call out ahead of time.**
> 
> Also, this story is now rated E. If a pairing is going to have sex in the chapter, I will call it out in the content warnings.

Fuck. 

Bakugo growled, ignoring the copper taste in his mouth as he got back to his feet. He had been thrown several blocks away when the nomu had used a traffic light like a baseball bat (which fucking hurt, dammit) and he needed to get back to Deku, that little shit, to make sure the punk didn’t do something stupid like fight a group of villains all by himself. 

It wouldn’t be the first time. 

“Kacchan?” Deku shouted at him through the earpiece and Bakugo growled back in response, ignoring Deku’s pitiful sigh of relief as if he blasted off into the air and back towards the action. People were running on the streets and Bakugo could see other heroes and sidekicks in the mix trying to get the civilians away from possible danger. 

Fuck nomus. 

Fuck villains. 

Fucking stupid Deku, where was that little shit?

It was only a few weeks into their third year at UA, one week into their work-study program under the #1 Pro Hero Endeavor and one week away from Bakugo’s 18th birthday. And already shit was already hitting the fan and Bakugo hadn’t even gotten homework for the year yet. It wasn’t enough that their first year at UA was riddled with failures, loss, and frustration, no, their second year had been worse and now year three was looking like it was going to try and top it all. 

The smoke and dust in the air reminded Bakugo of the events at the Jaku General Hospital. Everything still felt like scars on all the heroes and students that had survived that madness. There was even a memorial for all the heroes that had died in that incident, like Crust and X-Less, and the countless others who were still unaccounted for thanks to Shigaraki’s destructive quirk. The memorial was meant to be a reminder to the public for what heroes were willing to do for their safety but Bakugo felt like it was a reminder to all the heroes that All for One and the League of Villains were still out there. 

The memorial light could blaze in the night sky for all Bakugo cared, it was never going to bring Eraserhead’s leg back. The fiery blonde was glad that Aizawa-sensei was still going strong as their homeroom teacher but somehow the prosthetic leg had made the man even more threatening. That said, no one was as scary as Mirko, who never got fitted for a prosthetic and was now ranking #3 hero with one arm and an attitude that made Bakugo smile.

Their second year had started off subdued, most of them still healing from the fight. Recovery Girl had her own limits to what her quirk could do and once she ensured that everyone would live she had sent them back to heal the rest on their own. The fucking creep Shinso had joined the 1-A class, a stark reminder of the classmate who wasn’t coming back. Grape Balls had dropped out of the hero course after a quiet goodbye at the hospital, no one was sure what had been the last straw for Mineta but Bakugo knew that Pikachu was still keeping in touch and apparently Mineta was happy. 

Best Jeanist was thriving in the #2 hero spot, very much alive and the world had celebrated. If Bakugo wasn’t at Endeavor’s agency then he was with Best Jeanist. He would only learn from the goddamn best and that meant those two. 

Hawks was missing. 

The ex-number two hero had been forced to retire after his wings had been permanently burned off and the young hero had disappeared after closing his agency in the middle of the night. Bakugo only knew the damn bird was still missing because Tokoyami was still trying to find him. Occasionally Deku would help Tokoyami out, but Deku was a bleeding heart like that. 

Bakugo’s second year at UA had been filled with fights, Deku learning how to master new quirks, and above all - the constant aggravation and threat that was Shigaraki. There had been incidents but it was clear that the new All for One user was biding his time to finally take Deku out. Bakugo wasn’t going to let Deku go that easily and he had been training with the little fucker all through their second year. Honestly, Bakugo was tired of dragging Deku’s bleeding ass all the way to the hospital to make sure the fucker lived.

There had been one incident that Bakugo and Deku hadn’t been part of for once. Something that ended with the death of Dabi and Todoroki being out of school for a month but when the IcyHot bastard had returned he had acted just the same. Bakugo didn’t bother wasting another breath for the prick, not when he knew Deku would worry enough for the rest of the class. 

And now they were in their third year and Bakugo was in the middle of another fucking fight that seemed to pop out of no where. His patrol with Deku had meant to be a usual end-of-day walk around Endeavor’s territory. Bakugo had just been walking with Deku to make sure the nerd met up with Eri on time before the blonde ran back to campus to beat up Kirishima just for the hell of it. 

Or “training”, whatever Kirishima wanted to call it. 

But of course there was an explosion. Then a fucking nomu. Stupid fucking super-powered corpses trying to do Shigaraki’s dirty work while the bastard holed himself off somewhere. 

Bakugo landed in the rubble just in time to dodge as a car got thrown at him. He could see Deku’s green sparks through the smoke and Bakugo shot himself over to the action, making sure to blast any fuckers who tried to stop him along the way. He didn’t bother fighting the grin on his face as he was able to slam his foot into the hulking shape that had been approaching Deku from behind. The nomu slammed into the building across the street and Bakugo’s grin widened as Deku gave him a smirk as if Bakugo had been doing exactly as the green haired shit thought he would. 

Little bastard. 

“Deku, Ground Zero! There’s a hosta-” The staticy voice of Burnin was cut off and suddenly there was a huge explosion a block away. The buildings were getting demolished and Bakugo turned his attention to Deku to see if they were on the same page. 

Something was happening and they needed to get there.

“They’re after Eri!” Mirio Togata was suddenly beside them bleeding from his head. Togata was in civilian clothes but it was clear that he had been part of a larger fight which had Bakugo checking the scene again. Togata’s powers had only been restored about a month ago now, landing the blonde in class 3-A’s roster so that he could finally finish his final year at UA to get a handle on it again. Eri had finally gotten some control over her quirk but it was still weak and the last thing the world needed was her going haywire again. “I tried to be a distraction but I think they’ve caught on.”

“Where is she?” Deku was looking around frantically now and Bakugo managed to grab the teen’s shoulder before the shit ran off. Deku glared back at him before turning to Togata. 

“She’s with Sho-she’s with Eraserhead.” Togata gave Bakugo and Deku a bright smile. “Figured that was the safest place for her.”

Bakugo couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Aizawa-sensei had given him a hard time for his ‘bloodlust’ in his first year but Bakugo knew he was no match for their homeroom teacher.

Especially when Eri was involved. 

He was a fucking mother bear, that human catipillar. 

“That dick can handle himself but we shouldn’t let him have all the fun. Let’s stop these assholes before they cause more damage.” Bakugo shouted as he finally let go of Deku and took off running towards another explosion. He could hear Deku talking to Togata, probably sending that extra back since the blonde wasn’t allowed to fight yet, but Bakugo knew it would only be a matter of time before the green haired shit caught up to him. 

He would have to try and end this battle before Deku got here. 

He should have known better. 

Explosions. 

Fire. 

Someone screaming in pain. 

More fire. 

Something had changed. The ground shook and time seemed to blur together as Bakugo found himself rolling to his feet. He only had a moment to recognize that he was bleeding, he had hit his head hard and now there was blood streaming down his face but that didn’t stop him as he tried to keep moving. 

Endeavor had shown up. Bakugo could hear the man’s voice as he shouted orders to those who were on the sidelines, the number one hero jumping into the fray but Bakugo kept moving, looking for green. Endeavor could take care of himself or Bakugo was going to take the number one mantle from him right now. 

“Eraserhead is down!” Someone was screaming, and the world seemed to zero in on those words. 

Deku. 

Deku was going to go after Eri. 

Shitty Deku. 

Every bone in Bakugo’s body was screaming that Deku was already in the center of this. Anger and frustration seemed to be the only thing keeping Bakugo on his feet as he spit out blood and took off running. He needed to go to where the fighting was.

He needed to go to where Deku was. 

He needed to be quick about this. Togata said that the nomus were after Eri, which meant that they had a way to get her out of here. Most likely one of them could use some sort of warp then. The fact that fighting was still happening meant that the nomus didn’t have the girl which meant that most likely, and Bakugo almost wished he was wrong here, that Deku had her. 

But Bakugo was never wrong. 

Eri was on Deku’s back, her arms wrapped around his neck as her sundress blew in the wind like it was trying to be Deku’s cape. Bakugo would have been amused by the imagery if they were in any other situation. 

“Hand her over.” The gurgling voice of this new nomu sent chills down Bakugo’s spine. He prepared himself to launch over. He could tackle both Deku and the girl to get them out of the way and then he would blast them farther away. 

“Give up now.” Deku’s voice didn’t falter but Bakugo could hear the strain. He glanced up and wondered if Eri’s power had activated in the stress of the situation, her control was decent on good days but if it activated with her on top of Deku like this, especially since he wasn’t destroying his body right now…

It happened simultaneously. 

Bakugo blasted off, getting ready to grab Deku and Eri and create some space for them to get out of the way. Endeavor was close and the teen knew that the fucking old man was just looking for a moment to melt the bastard nomu and Bakugo was going to make make that moment happen. 

Deku was jumping back as the nomu reached for Eri, the green haired teen was trying to keep her out of it’s reach. Deku saw Bakugo coming and was already reaching out his hand, as he started to prepare his legs to jump. Bakugo had a feeling catching Deku was going to hurt if the teen put too much force into it but it didn’t matter because he was already there. 

No matter what, he would catch them both.

His hand reached for Deku’s, their fingers trying to find a grip before suddenly everything when white. 

“Deku!” Bakugo shouted as he tried to grip the fingers tighter but then the world was gone. He was upside down and falling. 

No. 

He was flying?

Bakugo could hear waves. 

He could smell the ocean, could almost taste the salt in the air. 

He couldn’t feel Deku’s fingers anymore. 

“Ground Zero! Report!”

Bakugo felt like he had been dropped a hundred feet as he landed face first in the rubble. He shot up, ready to chase after Deku but the green haired teen and Eri were gone. 

They were gone. 

Deku was gone. 

“Ground Zero!!”

The world went white. 

…  
…  
...

“Oi, Take-chan, stop taking so long” Tanaka frowned down at Takeda-sensei and couldn’t help but lean into the older man’s space like a punk. 

“Yes, yes, very intimidating.” Takeda-sensei didn’t even bother to look up and Tanaka laughed as he finally took a step back and stared out at the beach they were parked next to. 

Takeda-sensei had found a neighborhood association that was having a good deal on some used volleyballs and the teacher had decided to buy in bulk as a gift the team for the new school year. Apparently sensei had heard about all the balls Hinata had lost to the wild boars near his home and thought it would be a nice idea if the players had balls they could take home with them. And Tanaka, never one to let the older man on his own, had volunteered to help their sensei pick up the items, and admittedly, wanted to spend some time with the teacher during his last year at Karasuno. 

Tanaka was a third year. 

It was weird to think he was almost done with highschool. 

He had been sad to see Daichi, Suga, and Asahi graduate but they had all kept in touch, even Kiyoko. Ever since the moment she had let him carry the gym bag out of the Tokyo gymnasium it had felt like she was finally taking Tanaka seriously and the shaved-head teen didn’t want to push his luck. He was lucky that she had been willing to exchange numbers after all this time and Tanaka had made it a goal to work his way up to a date before he graduated. She was off to college with Suga in Tokyo, and Daichi had gone off to some school up north. Asahi was still local, apparently he planned to take a year off before going to college next year. 

Tanaka was pretty sure that Asahi was only hanging around until he had a better idea of what Noya was up to but no one would ever say it out loud. While Nishinoya never hid their relationship, it was also just something the team didn’t bother calling out. Maybe because Asahi tended to spook easily and at this point, everyone just wanted a happy ending for both Asahi and Noya. It was great having their former ace stop by the practices sometimes, or even see him play in the neighborhood league, but it was still weird to see how much things had changed and how quickly. 

Ennoshita was captain. Tanaka couldn’t be more proud of his friend, and was even prouder to be his vice-captain. 

The weather was perfect at the beach and Tanaka couldn’t help but take a deep breath. There was a small breeze in the air and it made the teen feel awake and refreshed. He turned his attention over to his sensei and felt like teasing the older man a bit. “Shouldn’t you have brought Coach Ukai with you instead? This is a cute date spot.”

Takeda-sensei sputtered at that before he finally turned his attention to Tanaka with a small glare. “Don’t concern yourself with the affairs of adults.”

Tanaka sighed. 

So Coach and Sensei were fighting again, but that wasn’t anything new. It was another relationship that everyone on the team knew about. (Due to an incident that Suga-san had labeled ‘please don’t scar the children’ when Hinata and Kageyama and discovered both Take-chan and Coach in some heated kissing.) Still no one would talk about it out loud, but Ryu made sure to bring it up every now and then when he was with Take-chan on his own. 

He just wanted the man to be happy. 

The wing spiker felt himself groaning as he realized that their relationship being on hold meant that Saeko and Takeda-sensei would start drinking again and he was not looking forward to that. Tanaka turned to the beach again and felt a blush come to his cheeks, maybe he could bring Kiyoko-san here when he had a chance. 

“All right, I think we got everything.” Takeda-sensei smiled at Tanaka and teen smiled back. “Did you want to walk on the beach? I thought this would take longer so we have some time before we have to be at the gym for morning practice.”

“Let’s watch the sun rise!” Tanaka did wait for Takeda-sensei as he took off into the sand. He could hear the sensei mumbling something about the fact that the sun was already rising but Tanaka didn’t care, he would at least get his feet wet. 

“Don’t get too wet, I didn’t bring any towels!” 

Tanaka just laughed as he rolled up his pants and kicked off his shoes before stepping into the water. His third and final year at Karasuno and it had gone smoother than he had thought it would. 

Tanaka was ace.

He knew he had some big shoes to fill with Asahi gone but he couldn’t help his excitement at finally wearing the number 4 jersey. 

“Thanks for doing this trip with me, Ryu.” Takeda-sensei stood in the sand, clearly not planning to get his feet wet as he smiled at the teen. “Saeko was supposed to come but I think she might have partied too hard with the neighborhood association this past weekend.”

It had been a while since Takeda-sensei had called him Ryu and it made the teen blush as he turned so that he was staring at the ocean. They had known each other for years, both growing up in the same children’s home before Ittetsu-nii graduated and went off to college. The older man would still visit in the summers and eventually helped Saeko get custody of Ryu when she left the home after her 18th birthday and then a few years after that Take-chan turned into Takeda-sensei.

This was one of the reasons Tanaka had keys to sensei’s place. He had taken to house sitting for Takeda when the older man had to leave town for conferences and would sometimes go over there in the morning to make breakfast for both Takeda and Saeko if they had partied too hard the night before. 

He still wasn’t sure how his sensei could hold so much booze. 

“She was just excited, Asahi better watch out once he’s able to start drinking.” Tanaka laughed before he made his way out of the water. “We better head back. Ennoshita is actually scarier than Daichi-san when it comes to punctuality.”

“Sure, let’s grab some coffee before-”

Whatever Takeda-sensei was going to say was suddenly silenced as the smell of smoke filled the air. Tanaka turned but didn’t see any smoke around them before he glanced over at the ocean only to see something that looked like a person in a green suit fall into the ocean. “What the-”

But Tanaka couldn’t finish his sentence cause sensei was already jumping into the water. 

…  
…  
…

Uraraka smiled as the server placed the cups of tea at their table. The server was young and his hair an unruly mess of chicken feathers blushed brightly before glancing at Iida and scampering off. Iida just sighed as Uraraka laughed. 

“This is why everyone thinks we’re still dating.” Iida pointed his whole hand at her. “You’re the one that complains to me when no one will ask you out and then you set up things like this.”

“I want to have tea with my friend!” Uraraka laughed as she waved Iida’s worries away. It was true, they had attempted dating in their second year. Romance had spiraled through the second year classrooms after they had returned from their break to find Denki and Jiro had gotten together. It had been madness but it had also made for a lot of nice memories to even out the bad. 

The only person who had seemed to miss the whole romance bug had been Deku who had never really seemed to notice what was happening. 

Even Bakugo had gone on a date, granted, it had been with Shinso and as some sort of punishment game but he had still gone on a date! He had even bought Shinso flowers! Sure, he might have exploded them in Shinso’s face before stomping off but Uraraka was counting it. 

“I am glad that we are still friends.” Iida shoved his glasses on his face and Uraraka had a moment to enjoy his face before she sipped her tea. They had been a good couple but it had only taken a few months before they both realized that their relationship hadn’t really changed from friendship to romance. They were comfortable together but that didn’t mean they should be together. 

Uraraka wanted romance!

“I heard your brother was back at Team Idaten?” It had been all over the news that the former hero, Iida Tensei was going back to work. He was handsome, young, and had a charismatic personality that served the cameras well. The reporters had eaten him up. 

“He is!” Iida smiled brightly. “He’s going to continue to manage the heroes and sidekicks until I graduate. It’s a lot of pressure to work with him at the agency but I’m proud to be able to take over my brother’s hero name.”

Admittedly, Uraraka was a little jealous that Iida had everything figured out. She was happy for her friend but she was still unsure of what her next step would be. Most likely, she would join an already existing agency but she was hoping to move a little closer to home. 

She missed her parents. 

She hoped they were okay. 

“Actually, there is something that I-”

Iida was interrupted as a small tremor rattled their cups. Both student heroes stood up immediately. Iida grabbed his phone and dialed the hotline while Uraraka glanced around their surroundings. She didn’t see any signs of smoke so that meant whatever had caused that tremor must have been a good distance away. She turned to Iida just as they felt another tremor. 

“Nothing in the hotline yet but I told them where we are.” Iida closed his phone and glanced over to the street. Uraraka turned and realized that people were now crowding an electronic store that had tv screens throughout the window. 

“Maybe we should-”

Uraraka couldn't finish her sentence because suddenly Koda, Sato, and Shoji were running towards her. Sato stopped while the other two continued running. “Something happened in Endeavor’s neck of town. We were just told to go back to campus. You should get the alert soon.”

As if he summoned it, Uraraka and Iida’s phones beeped at them with a message from UA. 

“Do we know if everyone is okay?” Iida asked as they ran beside Sato towards campus. They weren’t that far away but it was still going to be long enough for them to need to pace themselves. 

Sato just shook his head. “Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki all had shifts today. I’m sure we’ll get an update when we get to campus. 

Uraraka found herself running a little faster. 

She hoped everyone was okay. 

…  
…  
...

Deku was drowning. 

He didn’t know how he had ended up in the ocean but his whole body felt like it was on fire. He could still hear Kacchan’s shout ringing in his ear but he couldn’t move his legs. He tried to force himself to turn and grab Eri only Eri wasn’t there. 

Eri-chan wasn’t with him. 

Deku forced himself to try and look around, trying to use All for One to move his legs faster so that he could get to the surface but . . . nothing happened. Deku felt what little air he had left leave his lungs as he tried to use All for One again only to be met with a pitiful motion that barely moved him up in the water. 

He was drowning and All for One was gone. 

He was drowning and Eri-chan was missing. 

Deku tried to struggle one more time, not willing to give up without a fight before he felt a movement to his side and suddenly an arm was wrapping around his chest and pulling him up. He didn’t fight the movement, tried to do his best to aid the arm holding him even though he could already tell it wasn’t Kaachan. 

“Gah!” Deku took a deep gulp of air as soon as they broke the surface, the world around him seemed to spin as he stared at an older man that was asking him questions as he pulled the teen along. 

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” The man’s voice only wavered when a wave hit them but he continued to swim to shore, bringing Deku with him. Deku tried to answer his questions but Deku’s throat felt tight as he tried to focus his vision. 

The world was spinning and Deku felt like his entire body was broken. Hit muscles were clenching and spasming and he didn’t know what was happening, only that he didn’t think he was going to be able to stay conscious for long but he needed to find Eri. 

Where was he?

Where was Eri?

Where was Kacchan?

“Ryu! Don’t get in the water, I’ll pull him out. He’s breathing.” The man holding him shouted and Deku felt his head roll to the side as he was dragged from the water. The older man was out of breath as he pulled Deku onto the sand and suddenly there were two strangers leaning over the teen. “Can you tell me your name?”

Deku choked on water, his lungs screaming at him as he spit it out of his mouth to take another breath but the world was grey and he only had a chance to open his mouth before the world faded around him. 

…  
…  
…

It’s Bakugo. 

Bakugo. Bakugo. Why is it always Bakugo?

“I need to see him!” Kirishima tried to walk towards the door again but Cementoss blocked his way. The redhead felt like he was about to pull out his own hair if he didn’t see his best friend as soon as possible. 

He had already been in the dorm when he heard that Bakugo had been in the middle of an explosion. They still weren’t sure if it was something else or if Bakugo’s quirk had gone haywire but all Kirishima knew was that his friend was hurt and the teachers weren’t letting him and the rest of the class go. 

“We are waiting for all the students to-” Cementoss started but stopped as soon as Todoroki opened the door to the outside. 

Everyone held their breath as the teen came in and it only took a beat before Mina’s voice filled the room. “Todoroki! Can you tell us what happened? Is Bakugo okay? Where is Deku, why isn’t he with you?”

Todoroki held up his hand and took a breath. He was in his hero uniform and it was clear he had been near the explosion as he was covered in soot from the fire and smoke. “I didn’t see what happened but I got permission to update everyone once I was dropped off at the dorms.”

“Is Endeavor-san okay?” Kirishima found himself asking, genuinely worried for how pale Todoroki looked for a moment. The teen glanced at Kirishima before he nodded. 

“Endeavor is fine, but Bakugo is unconscious and on his way to the hospital. His quirk went wild and he nearly took out the battle sight. At least one newscopter crashed but I heard that everyone was fine.” Todoroki paused, as if preparing himself and it made Kirishima’s stomach turn. “Midoriya is missing.”

The room filled with noise as Kirishima felt his knees give out. The teen felt a hand grab his elbow to keep himself upright and found Shinso next to him. The skinny teen waited for Kirishima to get his bearings again before he let go and Kirishima found himself turning his attention back to Todoroki who looked exhausted as everyone started asking him questions or looking up stuff on their phones. 

“I found video!” Denki held up his phone for as many to see. “Oh shit-”

“It was bad.” Todoroki agreed. “There is a lot of damage but most of it was from the nomus. There were after-”

Todoroki blinked and shook his head. Clearly the teen had only been given partial approval for what he could tell the class. Tsu-chan and Sero tried to ask more questions about the nomus but soon Momo was quieting the class down again. Kirishima watched as Iida went over to Todoroki and they started to talk quietly. Kirishima decided to leave it all to the class reps for now but that didn’t help the biggest problem right now. Kirishima turned to Cementoss and spoke loudly. “If the damage is that bad then you should let us go help! Instead of hiding us here, we should be able to help! We’ve been training all of this time!”

Cementoss sighed. 

“What a good thought, young Kirishima!” All Might’s bright voice filled the room as the older man walked in. His smile seemed a bit strained but he made sure to look the class over. “Everyone has been accounted for on campus and Endeavor’s agency has put out a call for help with search and rescue. If you are able to help, suit up and we shall head over immediately.”

“All Might . . .” Cementoss muttered. 

“Thank you!!” Kirishima bowed to both the teachers before he turned to his class. Some students were already in costume, like Kirishima, since they had been on duty before being called back but a few needed to change. It wouldn’t take long though. 

“Sorry, Cementoss.” All Might whispered, though rather poorly as Kirishima could still hear him. “Nezu gave permission for 3-A and 3-B to help as long as we go to the site with them and keep an eye out. Midnight and Snipe are already there, and Vlad and Ectoplasm will be joining us with class 3-B.”

“Have you heard anything about-” But Kirishima didn’t hear the end of Cementoss’ question because All Might just shook his head and the cement hero placed a comforting hand on All Might’s shoulder. 

Kirishima didn’t like that. 

Didn’t like that at all. 

“What about Mirio-uh-Lemillion?” Toru spoke up as her gloves moved left to right as if she was looking for him in the crowd. “Is he still with Aizawa-sensei? Actually, why isn’t-”

“Togota-kun and Aizawa-sensei were taken to the hospital.” Nezu’s light voice interrupted Toru and everyone went quiet at the sight of their principle. “They will be fine but we need to head over and help. Remember, you might still be students but you’re heroes now.”

“Yes!” The class agreed as they started to head out. There was a small disagreement with All Might and Todoroki, where the older man suggested the teen stay and rest but it was settled by Iida who promised to keep a watch on his fellow classmate. 

Kirishima paused for a moment at the door, Mina was beside him in an instant and that got him moving forward again as she gave him a look. “Everything okay?

The redhead didn’t know how to explain the uneasy feeling that was building up in his stomach as they all loaded up in the bus that would take them to the site much quicker than running. He shook his head and Mina squeezed his arm before she ran ahead and Kirishima found himself turning so that he could look at Cementoss, All Might, and Nezu as they followed the students out. 

“Um . . .” Kirishima felt his stomach twist a bit more but he forced the question out. “If Mirio and Aizawa-semsei are at the hospital, who has Eri?”

And that’s when Kirishima learned that the things could actually get worse. 

…  
…  
....

Takeda stared down at the kid on the ground, and there was no way around it, the kid had to be about Ryu’s age. He glanced up at the teen that was standing next to him in the sand and got Tanaka’s attention. “Can you run to the police box and get some help? They might have a spare towel or blanket? It’s by the building over there.”

“On it.” Ryu took off running, not even putting his shoes back on and Takeda found himself checking over the wet teen in the sand. His pulse was fast but it was clear that he was still alive. The contemporary japanese literature teacher was way out of his depth but what else was new. He made sure to keep the kid’s head elevated and was at least glad the kid was breathing.

“Ka-” The teen on the ground rolled over in a coughing fit and Takeda was grateful that he didn’t seem injured, even if the weird costume was off-putting. The teacher reached over to rub the kids back as he tried to think of what to say. 

“Are you okay?” He felt silly asking, the kid was clearly not okay but when the teen turned to him Takeda felt frozen by the fierce expression in those green eyes. 

“Where is Eri?”

“Eri?” Takeda felt his stomach drop at the thought that another child might be in danger. “You were the only one in the water? How did you end up-”

The teen grabbed the teacher’s shirt like he was trying to steady himself. “Where is Endeavor? Is the fight still happening? How far am I from-”

There was something wrong with this kid. 

“You need to calm down.” Takeda grabbed the kids wrist that was closest to him and made sure to lean down so that he was making eye contact. “We’re at Nagahama beach. Do you remember how you got here?”

Takeda watched as the kid stared at him in confusion, the teen started muttering to himself and Takeda lifted his head as he heard people approach and was happy to see Ryu running over with a cop not far behind. “Is he okay?”

“I think he hit his head.” Takeda decided to be honest, even as the teen gripped his shirt tighter. “He’s clearly confused. I’m not sure-”

“Why is he wearing that?” The cop stared at the green outfit and Takeda knew it looked weird. The teacher didn’t know how to respond but it seemed like the teen was taking in the sight of Ryu and the cop again, before the green haired teen finally let go of Takeda’s shirt. The cop did have a blanket and Takeda reached for it gratefully before wrapping it around the soaking teen. 

“Sir, can you contact the Endeavor agency for me? I’m his intern and-” The strange teen was out of breath as he spoke to the cop. 

“Endeavor agency? Is that a film studio? I don’t think there were any shoots happening today.” Takeda watched as the kid turned pale while the cop continued to talk before the teacher did the only thing he could think of, he reached over and helped the teen to his feet, keeping him close. 

“Do you think you can walk?” Takeda pulled the kids arm around his shoulder and Ryu followed his lead as the other teen grabbed the kid’s other arm. “Do you remember where the agency is located? Maybe we can drive you there?”

“I should write up a report.” The officer stated as he rubbed the back of his head. 

Takeda took one look at the cop and realized that the man didn’t really seem that interested in the paperwork. Most likely thought this was some strange prank or hazing and as Takeda felt the teen shivering against him he decided to make a bad decision. 

He was clearly going to regret this. 

“Ryu, can you take him to the car?” Takeda could see Ryu wanted to say something but the teen just tightened his jaw before nodding and taking the weight of the other teen and making his way towards the car while Takeda turned to the cop. “I think this was a prank that went wrong. I’ll take him to his employer and make sure things are straightened out.”

“I don’t know…” The cop sighed. 

“I see things like this all the time at my school.” Takeda lied with a smile. “Teenagers these days.”

The cop’s eyes brightened at that, clearly trusting Takeda the teacher more than Takeda the stranger and the cop started nodding. “Yeah, that works. I’m glad the kid is okay but make sure his studio knows they need a permit for anything else moving forward.”

“I will. Thank you for the blanket, should I return it here?” Takeda gave the cop a small bow when the officer told him they could keep it and then the teacher turned and made his way over to his car quickly. His clothes were clinging to him and his glasses had sand sticking to them but the teacher would just deal with it once he figured out if the kid was okay. 

“I’m fine.” The strange kid was sitting on the ground next to the car even as Ryu was rearranging things in the back to make room for one more seat. “I’ll find my way back.”

“Listen weirdo, I’m not sure if you realize this but you need help. I’m not sure what Take-chan’s plan is but don’t make things harder for him.” Takeda found himself smiling as he heard Ryu and made sure to cough a bit as he got closer to the car. Ryu hit his head on the top of the car before crawling out while holding his gym bag. “I have gym clothes and my uniforms in here if either of you want to wear something dry.”

“That would be great.” Takeda smiled at Ryu who started to pull clothes out. The teacher glanced as the green haired teen who seemed to have more color to his face and knelt down a bit so they were face to face. “I hope you don’t mind borrowing some of Ryu’s clothes, but I would prefer if neither of us got a cold before I drove you home...or was it to work?”

“Work.” The kid kept glancing around as if he was trying to take in the scenery before he finally took the set of gym clothes from Ryu. Takeda sighed as he pulled off his shirt and put on Ryu’s uniform top, trying not to think about how he, a man twice Ryu’s age, seemed to be so much smaller than his student. 

The teacher turned to thank Ryu before he noticed the teen staring at the green haired stranger. Takeda turned his attention over and found himself pausing as he saw the scars on the kids body. 

The teacher felt his blood run cold. 

…  
…  
…

She did not have time for this shit. 

Mirko growled when some reporters got in her way and they quickly made space for her to go into the hospital. Most of them knew better to ask her anything when she was in a mood but a few still called out some questions. She just ignored them all until the doors shut behind her and she made her way over the uniformed officers. 

“Endeavor’s room?” She smiled politely and the officers gave it to her immediately. The older one gave her a nod and she remembered him from a few instances as she gave him a nod back. The younger one kept looking at the space where her missing arm would be but she ignored it, even after so much time had passed, her missing arm still made some people uncomfortable. 

Not that she cared. 

She could still save the day with one arm and she had proven it over and over again. She wasn’t #3 for nothing. 

Once she found the room she was looking for she didn’t bother to knock and just slid the door open with a bang as she smiled at the rather shirtless figure of Endeavor. He had scorch marks on his skin but it seemed like they had already given him some burn treatment so the marks wouldn’t last long. 

Bakugo’s explosions must have been hot. 

“Mirko, I’m surprised to see you here.” Detective Tsukauchi glanced from her to Endeavor and back again. She could tell his head was spinning on why she would hop over to visit the flame hero but Mirko wasn’t going to give anything away. She smirked, leaning against the side of Endeavor’s bed. 

“Endeavor, I never thought I would see the day you got burned.” Mirko laughed as Endeavor glared at her. 

“You make that joke every time.” Endeavor huffed and the older man turned to the detective. “Tsukauchi, can you give us a moment.”

Detective Tsukauchi was many things, and while it was clear he was unhappy at being asked to leave, he was a patient man. He had a habit of finding out things regardless if people wanted him to or not, which Mirko both respected about the man and hated. Really, it annoyed her to no end. The detective sighed after giving Endeavor a look that she couldn’t read before he got up and made his way to the door. 

“I’ll be back after I check in on Ground Zero’s status.” The detective nodded at Endeavor and then gave Mirko a small smile. “Always a pleasure, Mirko.”

She didn’t need his quirk to know he was lying but she smiled back anyway. They didn’t have to like each other to work well together and honestly, he was still her first pick when it came to detectives on the force. 

“Mirko-”

“No need to jump right into it. I was curious why you were late to our coffee date but then I saw the news. Anything I should be aware of?” She pushed herself off his bed and started doing stretches. She was never one to sit around and talk, always needed to be moving. 

“Nomus attacked, looking for the girl Eri. Eraserhead and Lemillion got hurt, I’m sure you saw what happened to Ground Zero if you saw the news.” The man sighed, clearly tired. “There was a quirk reaction between Deku, one of the nomu, and Eri. All three are still missing.”

“Fuck.” Mirko sighed, her ears twitching in aggravation. “Your son?”

“Was a few blocks away helping with another nomu. Last I saw, him and Burnin were beat up but I was told to send him back to UA.” Endeavor rubbed his forearm where one of the worst looking burns were. “I was the only one who could get close enough to Ground Zero when his quirk lost control, knocked him out. Doc says these should go away in a day.”

“I’ll run by your agency after this and make sure your staff has what they need. I might not like teamwork but I can help every now and then.” Mirko huffed as Endeavor nodded his thanks. “Now, on to business.”

“You have an update?” The older man seemed to gain some energy at the prospect. 

“What makes you say that?” Mirko smiled but she rolled her eyes at his glare. “Always straight to the climax with you. I bet you suck at foreplay.”

“Mirko.”

“Fine. Someone is trying to get your attention, or mine.” Mirko pulled out her smartphone and opened a gallery of photos that showed some recent crime scenes from around japan. “It’s not league of villains stuff but it still feels similar. I think someone went rogue and is trying to lay out a trap.”

“For me?” Endeavor paused as he noticed a small detail in the photos that had Mirko smirking. He wasn’t number one for nothing. 

“Red feathers had been found at each crime and it’s getting more and more violent.” Mirko pulled her phone from his hand and shut it off before giving Endeavor a serious look. “We know it’s not Hawks, he lost his wings permanently, but it’s someone trying to mimic Hawks and I have to say they’re doing a scary good job. So either they’re setting up a trap to get you or . . .”

“They want my attention.” Endeavor looked out the window for a moment before turning to her. “Have I been that obvious?”

“That you’ve been trying to track down Hawks since his disappearance?” Mirko thought it was a silly question, considering he had gone to such lengths as to even ask her for help as a favor. 

Endeavor never liked owing anyone. 

“My gut tells me it’s a trap for both of you. So basically, whoever gets there first. I don’t think this villain cares whose blood is spilled, just as long as they get to do it.” Mirko rolled her head to the side so she could see the clock in the room and got back up to her feet, hopping a few times to warm up her legs. She turned to the older man who seemed lost in thought before she got his attention. “Do me a favor and don’t walk into this trap, at least not yet.”

“Do you think Hawks will fall for it?” And Mirko wanted to roll her eyes. She wasn’t sure what had gone on between Endeavor and Hawks in their short partnership but it was clear Endeavor wasn’t going to let it go. 

“Hawks walking into a trap?” Mirko actually gave that some thought. She had actually worked well with Hawks, despite being four years older than him. He had been fun, strong, and sharp as a tack - all things Mirko liked to see in other heroes - but he had also kept everyone at a distance. She liked to think she knew him better than most, but she wondered if that was true. “I don’t think he’s suicidal but that doesn’t mean he won’t go poke the bear. If this brings him out of hiding, we’ll both be the first to know.”

Endeavor seemed to nod but he didn’t really have any reaction which let Mirko know it was time for her to move on. 

“Get some rest, the press is lining up outside and you’ll probably need to give an update soon. Or you can pass it off to Tsukauchi but I’m not sure you want him speaking for you.” Mirko did a few more stretches before she smiled back at the older man. “Like I said, I’ll run by your agency first but if you need me, you know how to get in touch.”

“Yeah, thanks.” 

“Oh, and Endeavor?” Mirko opened the door as she turned back to him. “We better find those kids and quick, I don’t like them going missing at the same time.”

A small flame graced Endeavor’s shoulder as the man glared at Mirko. “I was planning on it.”

…  
…  
...

He wasn’t in Tokyo. 

There was no battle happening and from a quick glance around Deku felt like he wasn’t even in Japan anymore. At least . . . not his japan. Everyone was speaking Japanese but something felt off from the way they dressed and the cop’s uniform and how no one seemed to know who Deku was . . . which might have been hard after all the fights he had been in so far but to not know who Endeavor was? Something was wrong. 

Where were the heroes?

Where were the quirks? 

Deku was trying to put it together as he changed clothes only to realize that the two strangers that had saved him had gone quiet. Deku turned as he slipped on his shirt only to see both of them staring at him with some sort of surprise. “Did something happen?”

Did they recognize him? 

“What’s your name?” The older man finished pulling on his own shirt and kept his voice quiet, as if he was afraid he would spook Deku and it made the teen feel tense. 

“Midoriya Izuku.” Deku gave them a nod before he realized how rude he was being, clearly he had been spending too much time with Kacchan. “I’m sorry! What are your names?” 

“This is Tanaka Ryunosuke.” The older man pointed to teen next to him. “My name is Takeda Ittetsu, but you can call me Takeda-sensei. I’m Ryu’s sensei and coach.” 

Deku gave them a small bow. “Thank you both for helping me.” 

“You seem to be doing better, are you feeling okay?” Takeda smiled softly and Deku found himself on edge. The man was clearly searching for something but the teen didn’t know where to even start. 

“Who gave you those scars?” The teen next to Takeda-sensei growled and the teacher turned to the teen with a flush. 

“You can’t just ask that!”

“Why not?” The teen turned back to Deku. “Are you in trouble? Or in danger? Is there someone we need to protect you from?”

As he spoke the teen had gotten closer to Deku making the green haired teen step back until his back was against the car as he stared at the taller teen with wide eyes. 

What? 

Deku didn’t even get to ask them what they meant because his whole body seemed to seize at that moment. He felt his body twist into himself as he hissed, his teeth clenching together so hard he had a moment where he was afraid they would break but it wouldn’t stop. It was the same feeling he got when Eri’s quirk activated and Deku found himself falling to the ground as the other two strangers yelled at him. 

He needed to find Eri. 

He needed to figure out where he was. 

He needed the pain to stop. 

…  
…  
…

Midnight made sure to wave at all the people in the waiting room at the hospital as she walked over to the counter. It was still pretty early in the day but she figured everyone was still busy from all the patients that had been checked in the day before. She made her way up to the nurse with a clipboard near the front and smiled brightly, “I have my Midnight Boys bringing in coffee and breakfast for the hospital staff and patients. They should be here in about an hour, I called earlier to make sure it was okay.”

“Yes, Midnight, we were expecting you. Thank you so much for your kindness.” The nurse blushed as she smiled shyly at Midnight and the hero couldn’t help but smile back. She always loved her fans. The nurse turned to the counter and asked for a list before handing the paper over to the R-rated hero. “Here is the list of patient rooms that you asked for. Do you need someone to escort you?”

Midnight gave the list a quick glance before she smiled at the nurse with a shake of her head. “I’ve been here enough times but thank you. Make sure to tell my boys where to go when they get here, they’re really good at following orders.”

“Y-yes!” The nurse blushed brightly and Midnight made her way down the hall. She folded the paper as she passed by the rooms until she made it to her first visit. 

Bakugo Katsuki was hooked up to a variety of machines but despite that he didn’t seem small, instead he looked like something that was about to go off at any moment. Midnight caught a glimpse of Recovery Girl talking to another doctor and made sure to wave as she moved over to his bed. Aside from the usual monitoring machines, his arms were lifted up and surrounded by quirk nullifying equipment. 

“Don’t be too worried, we’ll take the quirk nullifying devices off once his body temperature lowers. It’s just a precaution for now.” Recovery Girl sighed as she held Bakugo’s chart in her hand and Midnight tried to take a peek but she couldn’t read the chicken scratch handwriting. 

“When do you think he’ll wake up?” Midnight thought he looked fine which is why she was startled by Recovery Girl’s answer. 

“We had to induce a coma, so most likely not for a week, but I already told the doctors that we wouldn’t let him stay like this longer than two weeks.” The old woman sighed before she put the chart down and went over to Bakugo’s side to start checking his vitals. Even with the machines there, she liked to do things herself. “I’m sure you were told about the quirk reaction that caused all of this?”

“Yeah, I was at the site all night. From what the HPSC scientists have surmised, they think the nomu’s quirk, Eri’s quirk, and Deku’s all reacted to each other and that’s why we can’t find them. They also think that Ground Zero was partially caught and that’s why his quirk reacted the way it did.”

“That is what we believe as well.” Recovery patted Bakugo’s arm. “His body reacted as if it was trying to force his quirk out of him but we were able to stabilize him. However, his body is still reacting in small bursts and that’s why we induced the coma. Our hope is that he’ll normalize before he wakes up.”

Midnight sighed before thanking the older woman. She made sure to text one of her Midnight Boys to bring Recovery Girl a chai latte, something she knew the older woman would appreciate after working all night. She had to go up a few floors before she found her next destination. 

She tapped on the door twice before sliding it open to see a very tired Eraserhead glaring at her. She almost made a comment before she noticed another form sleeping on his bed next to him and then she had to bite her lip as she slid the door close and made her way to his side. There was a stool nearby so she sat in it and stared at her friend. 

“He wouldn’t leave even after I told him to go back to the dorms.” Aizawa sighed and Midnight let out a small smile as she watched the older man stroke Mirio Togata’s head. The blond’s head was bandaged but he was clearly out for the count as he hugged Eraserhead’s waist and continue to sleep on in the bed. 

“What did you expect? You’ve both lost your daughter, not to mention Midoriya, so I can understand why he might want to keep you close.” Midnight brushed her hair behind her ear. “But this certainly won’t help the rumors.”

“I don’t care.” Aizawa admitted and Midnight felt her heart squeeze for her friend. 

“Do you want-”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Any updates that I should know about?” Aizawa continued to stroke Mirio’s hair and Midnight found herself reaching forward to grab his other hand. She knew she hadn’t always been able to be there for her friend but she was here now. 

“Bakugo is fine but they have him in an induced coma. Recovery Girl is worried about the pain he might be in but she thinks he’ll stabilize back to his usual control.” Midnight took a deep breath. “Midoriya, Eri, and the nomu are still missing.”

The only reaction she got was Aizawa’s free hand grabbing her own tightly. She paused for a moment before she continued. “Class 3-A and 3-B took care of rescue and clean up when they got there last night. I was able to send them off this morning and they know that school is on hold for the week, for them at least. There were a lot of injuries, some critical, but overall for the amount of destruction everything seemed pretty contained.”

There was another heavy pause and Midnight let the silence stay. Mirio mumbled something in his sleep before turning his head into Aizawa’s hip. Midnight smiled at the action. 

“I wasn’t able to keep them safe this time.” Aizawa’s words were soft but Midnight heard them clearly as she gripped his hand a little harder. 

“We can’t reach everyone, Shota. You know this.” 

“Knowing and understanding are two different things.” Aizawa let himself lean back against his pillow as he closed his eyes. 

Midnight stayed for a while longer, waiting until his grip on her hand loosened. She made sure his hair was out of his face before she left the two men to sleep a little longer. 

There would be a lot of work to do when they woke up. 

…  
…  
...

Tanaka only had a moment to catch Midoriya before the kid was unconscious in his arms. The scarred teen was heavier than Tanaka thought he would be and the short haired teen found himself turning to his sensei for what they should do next. 

“Should we take him to a hospital?” Tanaka lifted the teen up and started placing him in the back set. When there wasn’t a response Tanaka found himself turning to look at the teacher and felt himself sighing when he saw Takeda-sensei’s expression. “Coach really isn’t going to like this.”

“Good thing I don’t need his permission.” Takeda-sensei pulled out his keys and went to the driver’s seat. “Make sure Midoriya-kun is buckled in and take a seat. We’re going home.”

Tanaka just sighed again, making sure the unconscious kid was safely in the back before he jumped up front and buckled himself in. He waited for his teacher to get distracted by driving before he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. 

They were going to need some help. 

…  
…  
…

Shinso enjoyed how the teen beneath him shuddered around him. Monoma’s hair was a mess, the sweat had made it stick up awkwardly and Shinso couldn’t help but lean forward to push it back. 

“Don’t-” Monoma hissed as Shinso pressed deeper into the blond. The purple haired teen couldn’t help but smirk and Monoma bared his teeth in an attempt to growl before it turned into a moan. 

“You’re the one that wanted to do this.” Shinso bent down, forcing Monoma’s legs around his waist as he continued to keep a slow and steady pace as he fucked into the blond. “I’m tired, I just wanted to sleep.”

“Fuck!” Monoma laughed a bit but it was tight like a threat before suddenly Shinso was pulled down into a kiss. Monoma biting Shinso’s lip before allowing the taller teen pull away. “You were going to be sad and depressed and I wanted to distract you.”

Shinso couldn’t argue with that. The entire Hero Class of Year 3 had stumbled back to their dorms that morning in a sad state of exhausted and depressed. They had saved so many people but by the time the sun had started to rise they had realized they would need to come to terms with the fact that Midoriya and Eri were missing. 

The purple haired teen had barely made it into his room before he was shoved on the bed by Monoma. The class 3-B maniac had clearly used Kendo’s exhaustion against her so he could escape her watchful eye but Shinso wasn’t going to complain. Shinso preferred sleeping in his room at the 3-A dorm and if he could keep his boyfriend there with him for a bit then he would. 

“Please tell me you're close.” Monoma was breathless and Shinso decided to take pity on them both and started to move faster. It wouldn’t take long, they were both tired and their bodies sensitive from the overwork, but Shinso couldn’t help but wish he could make it last longer as Monoma came. The blond’s muscles tightened around him and Shinso only had to grind himself a little deeper before he was cumming. 

It only took a few seconds to dispose of the condom and grab a discarded shirt to wipe themselves off before Monoma pulled Shinso to him. The blond was an arrogant bastard most of the time but Shinso liked having the smaller teen be the big spoon when it came to their afterglow. 

It was nice. 

Comforting almost. 

“You know Midoriya will be fine, right?” Monoma whispered against Shinso’s hairline and the purple haired teen tried to relax into the teen’s warmth. “He’s survived far worse things than this.”

Shinso didn’t bother to respond. He wasn’t sure if he actually believed that or not. He knew the world would continue to move forward regardless of Midoriya and Eri were around but for some reason the teen felt the world would be a little darker without the two of them.

Shinso hoped Monoma was right. 

“And Eri will be back too.” Monoma yawned this time, clearly on the edge of falling asleep. “I promised to teach her some new magic tricks. She never misses a lesson.”

…  
…  
...

To say that Ukai Keishin was having a bad week would be an understatement. 

First his car broke down, then his mom tried to set up him up on a date with a neighbor’s daughter right in front of sensei which then lead to him and sensei having another fight, then sensei broke up with him (again), and when he went to Karasuno for morning practice he found that not only was Takeda-sensei missing but so was the team’s ace. 

“COACH!!!” Hinata jumped high in the air and startled the older man as he jumped out of the teen’s way. “Bossyama has a free period this morning, can we stay and practice?”

“I’m not bossy!” Kageyama yelled from the other side of the gym, clearly listening to whatever Hinata was doing even when he was supposed to be helping the first years learn where to put the equipment. 

Coach Ukai had been surprised at the beginning of the new year to find six first years wanting to join the team. Most of them were local kids who had already been planning to go to Karasuno but there were two outliers who had come from outside the district to play specifically for this school. The coach found himself smirking as he looked at his roster and couldn’t help but wonder where the school would be in a few more years. 

Would he be able to make it the powerhouse school it once was? 

“Ennoshita!” Coach grabbed Hinata by the shoulders and turned the teen towards their captain who was staring at his phone. Ennoshita startled at the Ukai’s voice before smiling. “Can the monster duo have the gym after this?” 

“The gym is usually free for the first period so they should be fine, but…” The captain somehow glared at both Hinata and Kageyama at the same time despite the fact that they were on other sides of the gym. “If I find out you skipped any of your classes, I’ll report you to Takeda-sensei.”

“We won’t!” Hinata and Kageyama shouted at the same time and Ukai couldn’t help but laugh as he finally let Hinata go. The coach grabbed his bag and made his way over to the captain who was still looking at his phone. “Did you ever hear from Tanaka?”

“Uh . . .” Ennoshita seemed startled by Ukai being close to him before he turned to his phone again. “I did but I’m not really sure what’s going on.”

Ukai didn’t like the sound of that. “Should I go to his house and check in on him?”

“Actually . . .” Ennoshita seemed embarrassed. “Would you mind running by the office to make sure they know that Takeda-sensei is out sick? And that Ryu-Tanaka will be out sick as well? And um, if possible, that I’ll be out sick as well?” 

Ukai felt a headache building. 

This week was only going to get worse, wasn’t it?

…  
…  
…

Todoroki didn’t know how he was supposed to be feeling. 

No one wanted to admit it but they had all thought Midoriya and Eri would be back by now. He had done his best to stay involved with the search but when the HPSC got involved his father had kicked him out of the investigation. In fact, most internships had been forced to end early as school started back in fervor though everyone mentioned that they would be back for their work study after the Sports Festival. 

It had been one week since the incident and it didn’t look like anyone was getting closer to finding the missing kids. 

“But what can we do?” Urakaka was rubbing her hands together. “I talked to Thirteen but she says everything that can be done is being done but-”

“If that was the case then why aren’t they using us?” Kirishima finished for her. The redhead had been outspoken in his call to action but he kept getting shot down by the school. “THey need all the help they can get, I don’t know why they won’t let us help.”

“Maybe they just want to make sure nothing else happens.” Todoroki spoke up, thinking about his father’s distrust of the HPSC due to the incident last year and he couldn’t blame Endeavor. He knew his father was investigating the institution in his own free time but that had probably taken a back burner with Midoriua and Eri missing. 

“Should we wait for Mirio to talk about this?” Jiro was looking around for the blond. “I know he’s not really a student but he kind of is. Should we include him?”

“No, he’s too close to it with the loss of Eri, not to mention that he lives with Aizawa-sensei. Let’s keep it here for now.” Sero sighed as he took a seat next to Uraraka. “Iida, are you sure this is what you want to do?”

Todoroki turned his attention to the class rep who had been listening silently before Iida stood up and took a breath. “I talked with Tensei and he said he would bring us the equipment to start looking on our own time. I know we were told to stay out of this but I don’t think there is any harm with us doing research in our own time.”

Momo was nodding. “We can use one of the empty dorms and as long as we never actually leave campus, we aren’t breaking the rules. We’re just taking what we’ve learned from class and practicing it here.”

“But is that going to be effective?” Mina jumped up in frustration. “We need to knock doors down until we find them!”

“We need to figure out if there are doors to knock down first.” Iida interrupted the cheer that had gone up at Mina’s words. “We all got the same information. There was a quirk reaction and that means that most likely, wherever they went, it wasn’t something the nomu was able to control.”

Todoroki sighed as more mumbling went around the class before he spoke up. “I can probably go find more information out from my dad if I visit him at his apartment. I think he would be willing to turn a blind eye to our involvement as long as we didn’t get in the way.”

More people started talking and Todoroki tried to think about how that conversation would go. His dad’s apartment was nice and spacious but it was too modern. When his parents had divorced at the end of his first year, with Endeavor leaving the Todoroki estate to Shoto’ mother, the teen had been surprised. It had taken a few conversations with Fuyumi to realize that his dad knew the only way to get his mom out of the hospital was to create a home environment without Endeavor in it. 

And so that’s what the hero did. 

His mom was discharged and she came home to the Todoroki estate. Endeavor moved out to a modern apartment near his agency. Then they finalized their divorce and both his parents had moved on . . . at least in their own ways. His mom focused on her kids and tried to catch up with everything she had missed. She laughed more and Shoto had been able to spend more time with her, which he liked. 

Endeavor worked. 

And that was pretty much all Shoto thought his dad did. 

“So we’re all in agreement?” Iida wiped his hand across the room and interrupted Todoroki from his thoughts. “Let’s keep this secret for now and if we have any sign of a possibility then we will tell UA immediately.”

“Yeah!” The class echoed each other before they realized they probably shouldn’t yell and repeated it as a whisper. 

Todoroki somehow figured that Aizawa already knew what they were up to, but since the homeroom teacher hadn’t come to stop them then the teen figured that meant they had a pass. 

For now. 

…  
…  
...

“I can’t believe you told Coach.” 

“What did you think was going to happen?” A familiar voice sounded more defeated than Deku was used to it sounding. Kirishima usually was upbeat, did something happen with Bakugo again? The teen kept his eyes closed, wanting a few more minutes of sleep.

His bed felt softer than he remembered. 

“Where did you even find this guy?” The familiar voice sounded curious and suddenly there was a hand on Deku’s wrist, as if checking his pulse. “He seems stable but-”

Deku’s eyes flew open as he pulled the stranger forward, flipping the teen that clearly was not Kirishima over and onto the ground next. Deku was holding the teen down as his eyes searched the room he was in to see a lived-in apartment and the short haired teen from earlier yelling at him. 

“Let him go, Midoriya!” The other teen, Tanaka, his name was Tanaka yelled and Deku found himself letting go instantly as he fell back on the floor and moved until his back was against the wall. 

That’s right. 

He was somewhere else. 

“Are-are you okay?” Deku turned to the teen that Tanaka was helping up from the ground and the teen smiled at him with a nod. “I’m sorry, I just-”

“No, it must have been surprising.” The teen stretched out his arm as if making sure it was okay before waving at Deku. “See, totally fine.”

“What was that noise?” An older man with dyed blonde hair and dark brown roots entered the room and Deku found himself tensing. He had a scary look that reminded Deku of Bakugo and the teen’s chest suddenly felt like it was being squeezed too tight. 

Was he awake?

Was this some quirk induced dream?

“That’s it!” Everyone in the room jumped as the shorter man Deku remembered from earlier shoved his way through everyone. Takeda-sensei, his name was Takeda-sensei. He pointed at the older man. “Keishin, you can go back to your shop. I don’t know why you thought it was okay just to come here but you know-”

“I was worried about you.” The other man argued back. “You have no idea who this kid is-”

“I want you out of my apartment.” Takeda-sensei’s voice was soft and stern and it made the other man frown before he let out a frustrated growl and grabbed Takeda-sensei’s shoulder. 

“I’ll be back once I close the shop and we are going to finish our conversation.” The man glanced at the teens in the room before sighing. “Do I need to take anyone to school or are you all skipping?”

“Skip-” Tanaka started. 

“School. If you don’t mind.” Takeda-sensei turned to the teen Deku didn’t recognize with a smile. “Thank you for coming to check up on him. I know your parents are doctors so it was nice to get a second look but both you and Ryu are third years and you shouldn’t be missing classes now.”

“But-” Tanaka tried again but he was interrupted by the other teen. 

“If we head back now, we should be back for second period.” The teen turned and gave Deku a small nod. “If you’re still here later, maybe Takeda-sensei can bring you by practice. I would love to introduce myself next time.”

Deku didn’t know what to say and instead just sat there as the well spoken teen forced Tanaka and the other man out of the room until it was just Deku and Takeda-sensei. His voice had seemed similar to Kirishima’s but now that Deku had heard him speak, the teen realized it had been too soft to be the red head’s. Deku clenched his fists as before he felt his pockets for his phone but realized he wasn’t wearing his uniform. 

That’s right, he had changed…

“All your stuff is on the table in the dining room. I put your, uh, clothes in the washer so they’ll be clean for you tomorrow but all your items are on the table if you want them back...though I’m afraid your phone is dead from all the ocean water.” The teacher rubbed the back of his head before giving Deku a small smile. “How about I make you some food and then maybe, if you’re up to it, we can talk?”

Deku nodded his head before he took a deep breath. 

Talk? 

The green haired teen didn’t even know where to start. 

…  
…  
…

Beep. 

Beep. 

Beep. 

The soft rhythmic beeping from the machine next to him is the first sign that he’s in a hospital. Bakugo took a small breath letting the chemical smell cleanliness wake him up a little further. His whole body felt heavy in a way he didn’t quite understand, as if it was still sleeping while he was trying to wake up. 

It didn’t make sense. 

Why was he here?

What the fuck happened this time?

“Bakugo?!” There was a familiar voice next to him, and the blond could sense someone was moving near him but they sounded so far away. “Someone grab his mom, I think he’s waking up!”

Shit. 

His mom was here? 

That meant something must have happened at school but he couldn’t think about it. Like there was a fog keeping him from remembering what happened and that was starting to irritate him. He managed to force his eyes open only to flinch at the bright light in the room but there were people talking and a sharp rattling noise of curtains being closed and suddenly the light wasn’t so bad. 

What happened?

“Bakugo, young man, how are you feeling?” All Might’s skeletal face was leaning over Bakugo with a worried expression. “Don’t force yourself, take your time as you wake up-”

“Fu-k-” Bakugo’s throat closed up and he found himself sitting forward, ignoring how his body screamed at him as he tried to get over his coughing fit. He felt a cool hand on the back of his neck and caught a familiar scent before he turned to glare at his mom who was holding some water. She looked tired, with bags under her eyes as she lifted the glass to his mouth. 

“You can’t use your hands yet, so drink slowly.” Her voice was stern, leaving no room for argument and Bakugo found himself obeying as he took a few sips of water. He turned his attention to the rest of the room and found himself almost surprised by the cast of extras that were there. 

Kirishima was on the other side of his bed, not that shitty hair was a surprise but the fact that he was standing next to All Might was. Bakugo turned his attention back towards his mom before he spotted the short woman with green hair standing by the door. 

Deku’s mom. 

Why was Deku’s mom here? Did Deku get hurt again?

“Bakugo.” There was a tall man in a trench coat that seemed familiar standing next to Inko and finally it clicked that he was a detective that had worked with UA a few times over the years. The man seemed to understand that Bakugo recognized him before he stepped into the room, patting Deku’s mom on the shoulder before he passed her to stand next to Bakugo’s mom. “What do you remember?”

Bakugo turned to stare at his hands that were wrapped in thick bandages before he turned back to the cop. 

Nothing. 

He couldn’t remember anything. 

“I know this might be hard, but we need you to remember what happened.” The cop kept his voice light before he turned to Bakugo’s mom and gave her some sort of nod as if he was giving her permission to do something. 

“Hey brat.” Bakugo hadn’t heard his mom talk this softly in a long time as he turned his eyes to her. She touched the side of his face before pushing his hair out of his eyes. “You’ve been in a coma for two weeks.”

Bakugo heard the monitor start beeping loudly before he even realized it was his own heart that was racing. He just stared at his mom before turning his attention to Deku’s mom who seemed just as lost as he was. “Where-”

No one answered, maybe they didn’t understand what he was trying to say but Bakugo knew he was going to force the words out one way or another. Even if it killed him. 

“Where’s Deku?” He huffed, his throat was feeling like he had swallowed shards of glass but he didn’t care as he stared as the two moms in the room. 

“Bakugo…” All Might got his attention this time. “Young man, young Midoriya has been missing for two weeks.”

Bakugo only blinked as he stared at his hero for a moment. 

What?

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Series Title note: Comes from Ikkei Ukai’s quote “Humans have no wings, so they search for ways to fly."
> 
> Chapter Titles note: Are all lyrics from Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Holding Out for a Hero’
> 
> **CONTENT WARNINGS**  
>  -canon violence   
> -underage sex: Shinso and Monoma are currently 17 in the story.   
> -age gap relationship: Aizawa is 32 and Mirio is 19 currently.  
> -Bakugo swears a lot  
> -Takeda does not make good decisions, but then they story wouldn't work if he did. 
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! I hope you like the fic as it continues on. Reviews are always welcomed.


	2. And where are all the gods?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Bro, you have to stop watching that.” Kirishima sighed. “You finally remembered what happened but you’ve been obsessively watching it . . . you already know what happened.”
> 
> “No, I don’t.” Bakugo growled as he made the clip play again. “I remember grabbing Deku, I remember our fingers touching, but he’s gone and instead of finding the fucker I was alseep for two fucking weeks and had to wait a whole other week before they finally agreed to let me out of this damned hospital.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Update note** Chapters 1 & 2 have officially been updated from their original text on 09/12/2020.
> 
> Content warnings at the bottom! 
> 
> Story note: Created backstories for characters that weren’t defined in the manga. OC character deaths in said backstories. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who commented last chapter -- and everyone who is coming to this story for the first time. It's definitely a challenge to write but I'm having fun. Really hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Tag notice:   
> I will update the tags every time I update a chapter, but I most likely won't tag everything because then it'll turn into a monster tag list. I will instead use author notes or content warnings as a way to make sure to call out any content that I think the reader should be aware of. I will tag pairings if the characters have sex, because this is rated E, but I will not call out pairings that do not have sex because I don't want to have anyone disappointed if their favorite pairing is only mentioned behind the scenes.

When Takeda Ittetsu was 12 years old, his parents died. 

They had been a small and love filled family. His mom had come from a large family that he never met and would never meet. She had been the middle daughter of some mogul who disowned her when she ran off with a small town teacher. His father had a passion for kids and math but had grown up with elderly parents that had passed when he was in college. Takeda’s parents loved each other and him, and that was all their family needed. 

Until they were gone. 

There had been a mudslide on the road they were driving on and their car had been forced into the ocean. He never got to bury his parents, never got to put them to rest, but sometimes he wondered if that was how they preferred it. They were so full of life, it would have been wrong to put them in the ground. If he had been able to cremate them, he would have poured their ashes out into the water anyway, so Takeda didn’t worry about his parents anymore. 

He had loved them but they were gone. 

Takeda was 16 when he met Tanaka Saeko and Ryunosuke for the first time. The orphanage in his town was small, most of the kids being sent to the bigger facilities in Miyagi but for older children the temporary home would do it’s best to give them enough to survive until they graduated highschool. Takeda had been the last kid there and the orphanage had planned to close soon but then one day the old couple who ran it came home with two crying children. Saeko was 8 and Ryunosuke had been 3 years old and their parents were never coming back. 

“I know two new siblings is the last thing a highschooler needs but I couldn’t let them be separated.” Mimi stood beside Takeda as they watched her husband, Joe, feed the crying children. Both adults were pushing closer to 80 but Takeda couldn’t help but agree as the kids refused to let go of each other’s hands even as they tried to scarf down their food. 

“Don’t worry about me.” Was all Takeda had been able to say. 

His last two years at the home had been filled with so much noise, Takeda would sometimes look back and wonder how he had still managed to study enough to be top of his class, but at the end of the day it had been the closest to a home filled with love that Takeda had felt before his parents passed. Saeko and Ryu would follow him around when he was home, and would text him constantly when he wasn’t. He had actually been sad when he graduated and it was time to move into the dorms at his college in Tokyo. He had studied hard to get a full ride and he wasn’t going to waste the chance he had been given. 

“Come back every weekend!” Saeko smiled brightly as she pulled on his sweater. 

“Don’t leave!” Ryu sobbed, sniffing up the snot in his nose as they tried to keep talking but it was muffled as he pressed his face into Takeda’s hip. 

“Study hard.” Mimi had smiled as she handed him a bento for the train. He didn’t own much, his whole life had been able to be fit into a suitcase and bag, but Takeda was more worried about the people he was leaving behind. 

Joe died four years later and Takeda had barely made it to the funeral after he finished his finals. He hadn’t visited as often as he liked, hadn’t meant to step out of their lives like that but when he saw Seako and Ryu, now 14 and 9, standing behind the small figure of Mimi, he realized how much time had passed. 

“I’m sorry.” Was all he could say though no one had yelled at him. They asked him about school and if they would be able to go to his graduation. They celebrated his victories while they all mourned the loss of the old man who had kept the house running. 

“I need you to do something for me.” Mimi had spoken softly as they sat out on the steps of the old home. Saeko and Ryu were asleep in Mimi’s room and the two adults -- because that is what Takeda was now, an adult -- took a moment to for themselves. 

“If I can-”

“No.” Mimi grabbed his hand far more firmly than a woman of her age should have been able and Takeda found himself squeezing it back as he stared at her. “This is something you have to do, no matter what, and if you can’t do it then you find someone you can.”

“What do you need?” He would do whatever she asked, it was the least he could do. 

“I don’t know if I will live another four years.” Mimi laughed as if she was talking about the weather but she kept her hand tight on Takeda’s. “I need you to make sure Saeko gets custody of Ryunosuke. Five years is a big age difference and there will be people who oppose but they’re all the family they have left. Make sure they stay together.”

And there was nothing Takeda could do other than promise her that he would. 

Even as he started his first time teaching at a cram school in the city, Takeda made sure to go back to the home once a month with more paperwork and books for Saeko to read. He tried his best to help her with her school work, not wanting bad grades to be something they held against her when she asked for custody of her brother, and Saeko worked hard. 

Ryu played volleyball. 

No one was sure when the kid had picked it up or what had drawn him to it but suddenly it seemed like it was all he could talk about. Takeda had no idea what Ryu was saying half the time but he would entertain the kid to make sure Saeko had time for her studies. They made sure Saeko had all the paperwork, all the identification, everything that she needed. 

Mimi only lasted three more years without her husband. She collapsed while doing her morning walk and died peacefully at the hospital with Saeko, Ryu, and Takeda at her side. 

Saeko got custody of Ryu under the understanding she finished her last year of highschool. Mimi had left the old house to Saeko and everything was good. Takeda had fulfilled his promise to Mimi, and Saeko already had a part time job at a convenience store and was planning to look for full time work as soon as she finished school. She had admitted that she had been planning on skipping college as she never really liked studying. The house was paid off and the costs would be low, everyone was going to be okay. 

Then Takeda had gotten a job at Karasuno. 

Then Ryu started going to Karasuno. 

Then Takeda met a passionate soon-to-be third year named Daichi Sawamura who asked him to be in charge of the volleyball team and all Takeda could think about was a small Ryu running around with a giant ball before he found himself agreeing to do something he didn’t know how to do. He remembered the day he agreed, and when Ryu had run after him after school to thank him profusely. Takeda hadn’t taken the job because Ryu was on the team, but he was excited to see how much the teen had grown. 

Then there was Keishin Ukai. 

Takeda, as far as he knew, had always been gay. He hadn’t realized what it really was until he was older but it had never bothered him. His love life was just like every story he had read in manga. His first kiss in highschool, his first date and his eventual first time all in college, he had one small romance with another teacher when he had lived in Tokyo but it fizzled out quickly and they both moved on. 

Nothing about Keishin Ukai was his type which is why Takeda had felt so blindsided by their sudden romance. Takeda promised himself to never get involved with a smoker (dependency issues), never got involved with someone younger (dependency issues), and most of all, never got involved with someone who was straight (doomed from the start). 

Keishin was all of these things. 

But his kisses had been warm. Keishin’s hands had been strong as they held onto Takeda’s hips. When they were together, Keishin wouldn’t look at anyone else. Takeda could see his life with Keishin in it, could see his future with Keishin in it . . . but he could never forget that Keishin had originally been all the things he knew to avoid.

That doubt followed them and was why their relationship was so rocky. 

The worst it got, the more Takeda would immerse himself into work. He would dedicate every free second of his life work or to making sure the volleyball team had everything it needed or, in this particular case, pick up a strange kid at the beach and dedicate his free time to helping the kid out. 

The first week with Midoriya had been odd. Takeda wasn’t still sure if he believed the kid's story about being from an alternate world but Takeda knew the boy was lost. Not that there was much to do for Midoriya the first week because the teen had taken to sleeping most of the time. His body had seemed weak and the teacher had done what he could to give the kid meals for when the teacher was at school. 

Takeda cleared a space for Midoriya in his office, it was already small and cramped but he was able to clear out some of the piles of books to have some blankets and a pillow there for the teen to sleep. When Takeda had left Midoriya alone for the first time, the teacher had sat at his desk wondering if he was being robbed now that he was gone but instead he found Midoriya using his computer to research current events and the area. 

It was weird to come home to somebody after all of these years but Takeda figured it was only a matter of time until Midoriya disappeared. 

But the teen for some reason stayed. 

Coach Ukai had come over a few times in that first week and while Takeda had appreciated the younger man’s concern, he didn’t want to leave any room for misunderstandings. He made sure the coach knew that they weren’t getting back together. Not this time. 

“Is it because of the marriage interview?” Ukai had pulled Takeda aside once Ryu had shown up. Both Ryu and Midoriya were talking about something in the main room, most likely Ryu trying to bully the new teen into taking some cold medicine since Midoriya seemed to have a fever that wouldn’t break, while Ukai leaned into Takeda’s space in the front hall. “I told my mom I wasn’t going and that she didn’t need to set them up anymore. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Your mom just wants you to be happy and have a family.” Takeda tried to be strong as he looked at the younger man. It was better to make sure they were over now instead of delaying the inevitable. Keishin would want a family one day and that was something Takeda could never give him. 

“Can’t we pretend it didn’t happen?” Ukai was pushing further into Takeda’s space and the older man couldn’t help but enjoy the closeness as one moment of weakness. “I like you, sensei.”

And that was the problem, wasn’t it?

‘Like’ wasn’t enough for Takeda anymore. 

“I’m tired, Keishin.” Takeda admitted before he pushed the younger man back so that there was more space between them. “I don’t want to do this anymore. Let’s go back to being friends, and if that doesn’t work then at least being volleyball coaches together.”

The younger man looked like he wanted to argue some more but he just turned his face and shook his head. Takeda didn’t know what that meant but it didn’t matter because Ryu was calling for him in the next room. Takeda gave Keishin’s arm a squeeze before he let go. “I’m sorry.”

And with that the teacher made it back to the main room. Ryu was asking about dinner and Takeda was about to suggest cooking something when he heard the front door open and close, letting him know that Ukai had left. 

“Maybe we should order out?” Takeda smiled while Ryu whooped. Midoriya looked exhausted as he sat at the table but he was giving the teacher an odd look. It made Takeda wonder if the teen had heard everything but it didn’t matter. 

Takeda and Ukai were over. 

…  
…  
…

Bakugo remembered everything. 

Recovery Girl had explained to him later on that confusion when waking up was expected and that he shouldn’t worry about it but sometimes he remembered those first few hours of fog and felt disappointed in his weakness. He should have remembered right away. 

He was stronger than this. 

Bakugo stared at the video again. It was from a helicopter and he couldn’t see all the details but he could see himself blast across the rubble to reach for Deku. Could see the moment that Deku jumped back, the moment the nomu’s quirk activated, and the moment Eri’s quirk went off all at the same time before there was a flash of light. 

Bakugo watched himself land on the ground. 

There was only a beat, Bakugo wondered if he was screaming before suddenly a large explosion went off and the video cut out, the helicopter having to turn away to get to safety. The turbulence continued and Bakugo wondered how long the explosions had gone on. How hot the fire must have been. 

“They think your quirk went off as a reaction to Eri’s quirk.” Kirishima spoke up as he continued to pack Bakugo’s things but the blond didn’t bother reacting to him as the video came back on. People were shouting, the reporter had been knocked out from the blast and now it was the cameraman speaking as the explosions continued to happen. Bakugo watched as Endeavor dove into the flames before suddenly the air was filled with smoke. “Apparently your explosion was so strong that everyone felt tremors even a few districts over.”

The video stopped and Bakugo pressed play again. 

“Bro, you have to stop watching that.” Kirishima sighed. “You finally remembered what happened but you’ve been obsessively watching it . . . you already know what happened.”

“No, I don’t.” Bakugo growled as he made the clip play again. “I remember grabbing Deku, I remember our fingers touching, but he’s gone and instead of finding the fucker I was alseep for two fucking weeks and had to wait a whole other week before they finally agreed to let me out of this damned hospital.”

“You were in a coma. You missed your birthday-”

“Fuck that, shitty hair. Three weeks! It’s been three fucking weeks and no one knows where Deku is or what happened! Shut the fuck up and let’s get out of here.” Bakugo got to his feet, frowning at how sore his body still was but forcing himself to move forward. “You’re taking me to the site!”

Bakugo had been informed that he would need to rest, let his quirk rest, before he could get back into action but he didn’t want to wait. He would make sure he didn’t destroy himself, he wasn’t a self-sacrificing asshole like Deku, but that didn’t mean he was going to sit still either. 

“Dude, you know I can’t drive yet and where do you want to go?” Kirishima grabbed Bakugo’s bag and followed the blond out the door. “We’re supposed to head back to the dorms.”

“If you can’t drive then why are you here?” Bakugo tried to keep his voice down. _(It’s called an inside voice for a reason, Kacchan. You shouldn’t yell in a hospital, it looks bad for your hero image.)_ Bakugo took a deep breath before he turned to his friend. “Who is picking us up?”

“I am...driving you home!” All Might jumped around the corner with a smile and Bakugo felt another headache come on. Even after Bakugo’s growth spurt in his second year, the former Symbol of Peace towered over him. The angry teen clicked his tongue before turning to Kirishima. 

“Give me the bag and head back to the dorms. I need to talk to All Might . . . alone.” Bakugo held out his hand even as Kirishima frowned at him. 

“But bro-” Kirishima started but All Might interrupted the teen. 

“Young Bakugo is right, we need to talk.” The older man placed a hand on Kirishima’s head despite the red haired teen being over six feet tall now, he looked small next to All Might. “Thank you for being a good friend, young Kirishima, but you can go back to the dorms. Tell everyone that we will be there shortly.”

Kirishima gave Bakugo a glance before he nodded with a frown. He handed Bakugo his bag with a sigh. “I’ll call your mom to let her know you’re with All Might. Make sure you call her today when you have a chance, I promised her that I would make you.”

“Just get out of here already, you busybody.” Bakugo huffed but Kirishima just smiled brightly and pulled the blond into a hug. 

Bakugo let himself be embraced. Getting knocked out for two weeks was nothing compared to some of the injuries other heros had gotten but it seemed like everyone in his class was feeling this loss even closer to home. Most likely because Deku and Eri were gone. It seemed like every time he saw one of his classmates they either stared at him a little too long or tried to touch him, as if to confirm he was still there. 

It had only gotten weird for Bakugo when Ojiro had tried to hold his hand. 

“Too long!” Bakugo shoved the red head off him before he gave Kirishima a nod. “I’ll call my mom once we’re out of the hospital. I’ll see you at the dorms tonight.”

Kirishima just smiled brightly before giving All Might a small bow and then the ultimate shield hero was off down the hall. Bakugo watched his friend for a moment before he turned to All Might with a frown. 

“Take me to the site.”

“Young man, I think-” All Might started but Bakugo wasn’t going to budge. 

“Take me to where it happened.”

The older man just sighed before he nodded. All Might turned and led the way out of the hospital until they got to a car that had a driver. The tall hero turned to Bakugo with a shrug. “Call your mom on the way, we’ll talk after.”

Bakugo didn’t say anything as he got in. 

…  
…  
...

When Deku had finally gotten over the cold, or what the teen assumed was his body reacting to being quirkless again, he had already been in this new world for over a week. Deku wasn’t sure if All for One was really gone but instead of worrying about that his first course of action had been to look for Eri. His phone, which was most likely water damaged, wouldn’t turn on and unfortunately none of the power sources available to Deku would work with it so he hadn’t been able to show a photograph of her. 

Luckily, when Deku had explained who Eri was to Takeda-sensei and Tanaka-san they had suggested getting a friend involved who might be able to help them. 

“Why do you assume I know so many cops?” A large teen with long hair and facial hair sighed at the coffee shop Ryu had dragged Deku to. The teen had apparently been Tanaka’s senpai at school and had a knack for getting into trouble. “All those incidents were misunderstandings!”

“But you still made friends, right, Asahi?” Tanaka laughed before he gestured to Deku and it was when Deku sat up straight. “This is Takeda’s cousin, I told you about him on the phone.”

Being Takeda-sensei’s estranged cousin had been a lie that Tanaka had suggested. Apparently the teacher was rather private so most people wouldn’t question it. Takeda-sensei and Tanaka had both been adamant about not telling anyone else about Deku’s world traveling theories and so Deku was forced to lie to more people. 

“Midoriya Izuku.” Deku held out his hand and the other teen took it and bowed. “Thank you for helping out, Asahi-san.”

The teen groaned before he sighed. “Fine, I’ll ask but I can’t promise anything. I think the sergeant who helped me out is still local but he might say no. I’m only asking! You said you were looking for a missing friend?”

“Yes! I wrote down all her descriptive details and tried to draw a picture of her. It’s not very good but if your friend could put a search out for any missing persons who fit this description, it would be a huge help.” Deku handed Asahi the notebook about every detail he could remember of Eri, feeling pathetic that he couldn’t provide a picture. “I just want to know she’s okay.”

“It would be better if we had a photo but Tanaka said that you lost everything in a flood?” Asahi shook his head in sympathy. “I’m glad you’re with Takeda-sensei now, though I’m sure Tanaka isn’t a good influence.”

And as both teens started ribbing each other over past grievances, Deku felt a little better knowing that his search for Eri wasn’t completely lost. He could still use sensei’s computer for his own research but hopefully actually talking to this world’s law enforcement would be helpful. 

And if she hadn’t followed him to this world? 

Deku didn’t know what he would do. 

The third week of Deku’s stay started with training. The teen couldn’t just sit down and research all day, he needed to make sure his body stayed in fit condition for when he made it back to his world. Maybe One for All didn’t work here but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t come back when he got back home. 

And the last thing Deku needed was to explode as soon as he saw his friends again. 

“What is a quirk?” 

Midoriya paused as he was washing the last cup. Takeda-sensei was at the table and had been grading some papers but now the older man was looking at him with some curiosity. While Takeda for the most seemed to have taken Deku at his word, occasionally the older man would ask him more questions about what his life had been like. 

He had been really encouraging, had even bought Deku a bunch of journals so the teen could write everything down to keep the memories fresh. 

So Deku tried to explain quirks. He wasn’t very good at it, he kept stumbling over his words and every now and then he would have to go on a tangent as he tried to explain everything. 

Even with his explanations, other thoughts came to his mind. How did Deku get here? At this point he was sure it wasn’t a quirk induced illusion, all his senses were working just fine and it was too detailed to be anything but real but then - how did this happen? Did the nomu have some sort of world transporting quirk and if it did, why would it want to send him to another world? Or was it trying to send Eri but Deku got caught in it? Was Eri sent here as well and if so, why wasn’t she with him? If not, was she sent somewhere else? Or was she back home? Did the nomu get her or did Kacchan save her? There were so many heroes there, and Endeavor had been ready to finish the whole thing so surely Eri was safe-

“You’re mumbling.” The teacher’s voice was soft, clearly trying not to startle him but Deku found himself sitting up straight as he covered his mouth. He ended up covering his face in soap and it forced him to finish cleaning the cup before washing off his face.

Deku turned to Takeda to see that the teacher was clearly thinking about something. Maybe the older man was still trying to figure out if what Deku was saying was true or just some elaborate prank, before the teacher asked, “Can you show me your quirk?”

Deku clenched his fist. He hadn’t felt his quirk since he got here but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try. He just needed to be honest. “I don’t think it works in this world but we can see? Can we go outside?”

Did he lose One for All? Had it been taken from him? Had something happened to him between the time he had held Eri to landing in the ocean? 

“Is it that dangerous?” Takeda-sensei was already getting up and Deku followed the older man to the door. The teen slipped on the used shoes he had been wearing. Like most of Deku’s things in this world, aside from his costume that was currently packed away, everything else he had was Tanaka’s. He lucked out that they were similar in a lot of ways but Deku was marginally bulkier than Tanaka so that made the teen’s shirt sleeves squeeze his biceps. Deku was honestly grateful that Tanaka’s jogger pants fit him fine because Tanaka’s jeans had been way too tight. 

“My quirk wasn’t dangerous as long as I controlled it but it could backfire. I explained my scars to you before.” Deku smiled as he rubbed his arms. Now that had been a conversation. Deku still wondered if Takeda-sensei and Tanaka thought he was a runaway from an abusive home but when he had explained that the scars were from hero-work, it seemed like they were giving him the benefit of the double.

The teacher nodded, as if he understood and Deku wondered if he really did. The teen glanced over the railing as to see they were on the third floor and smiled even as the teacher started walking towards the stairs. “How about I show you from here?”

“What are you-”

Deku climbed over the railing so that he was leaning over the empty courtyard. He didn’t hesitate as he jumped, even as he heard Takeda-sensei calling after him, and for a few seconds as he floated in the air and Deku had a moment of peace. Maybe his quirk was back. 

It wasn’t. 

The teen hit the ground with a thud but years of training with Eraserhead had him rolling into it so that he didn’t damage his body. He could hear the teacher yelling at him as the man ran down the stairs but Deku just flexed his arms, got a feel of the shoes he wasn’t used to and tried running up the side of the building. When it became clear that One for All wasn’t going to activate, he forced himself to flip back and land back on the ground. 

“Parkour?” A tall man with stubble and long hair stared in awe at Deku. At first, Deku had thought he was about to be attacked so he got in a defensive position but it only took a beat for him to realize it was someone he already knew. 

Asahi seemed sheepish at startling Deku but also seemed unsure of what to do with the teen’s reaction. 

“What? Oh-” Deku wasn’t sure what to say but it didn’t matter because Takeda-sensei was there with a red face. 

“That was so dangerous! Don’t ever do that again, I don’t care what you think you might hope to achieve.” Takeda-sensei let out a breath. “Is that your quirk? Jumping off things?”

“No, that’s not it.” Deku tried to explain. “I don’t think my quirk can work here but-”

Asahi was standing really close to them. Deku stopped talking to look at him, wondering if maybe Asahi had shown up with an update from his officer friend but also realized how weird it was that Asahi had come to sensei’s house. Deku wondered if he missed something and if he should apologize but it wasn’t like he had a cell phone. _(Stop apologizing for every little thing you fucking nerd! You’re a hero now aren’t you, you shit!)_ But Deku was saved from having to respond because suddenly Tadeda-sensei was smiling. 

“Asahi-kun!” The older man beamed at the taller teen. “What are you doing here?”

The tall man suddenly seemed to shrink despite his size as he rubbed the back of his neck and disturbed the bun he had his hair tied back into. He looked younger, even with the stubble, as he blushed and chuckled a bit and it made Deku think of All Might’s retirement form. Like a weak body that was filled with too much power. _(See, even you can say mean things every now and then! Ha! Stop blubbering, no one will ever think a weak fuck like you could be an asshole.)_ Deku found himself shaking his head as Kaachan’s voice rolled around in his head. 

“I was just in the area?” Asahi laughed nervously as Takeda-sensei glared at him. There was only a beat of silence before the rugged teen caved. “Yu is mad that he hasn’t met your cousin yet so was planning to ambush you once he finished studying at Tanaka’s . . . I came by to stop him.”

Takeda-sensei sighed. “I was planning on bringing Midoriya to practice next week to meet the team, I already told them this.”

Which was true. Deku had started exploring the town more and after some talking they realized it was probably time for him to start meeting people. If he was going to stay here for a bit, he needed to get familiar with the place. 

And the first thing sensei wanted Deku to get familiar with was the Karasuno volleyball team. 

“That’s why Tanaka asked me to intervene.” Asahi held up his phone. “I was in the neighborhood so it’s no problem.”

“You live and work on the other side of town.” Takeda-sensei sighed and the older teen looked a little sheepish. 

“It’s not a very big town?” Asahi tried before he turned to Deku. “Is this why they’re worried? Your strange cousin doing parkour outside your apartment building?”

Deku felt sheepish at that and when they continued to talk without him the teen started to do some stretches. He could already tell his body was going to be sore in the morning, he really needed to up his training again. 

He also needed to look into getting a cell phone that worked in this world. 

But like everything else, even Deku’s money was no good. For some reason the money was similar but where Deku’s had hero’s designed into the details this world - for obvious reasons - did not. 

Deku had borrowed Takeda’s cell phone during his fever state which had not ended well. He had tried All Might first but Deku had been met with an automated message telling him he dialed the wrong number. Deku had tried the Endeavor Agency, his mom, Aizawa-sensei’s and even Uraraka’s and Iida’s phone numbers but there was no such luck.

Apparently in Deku’s world, the way the phone numbers were set up were different. He really was somewhere else. 

He was. . .

Deku had hesitated when he wanted to dial in Kacchan’s number and it had ended with him having a panic attack before he could even hit the send number. It felt like if Kacchan’s number didn’t work then it was true evidence that he was alone. 

That Deku was in a world without Kacchan. 

He couldn’t. 

Not yet. 

So Deku had settled for researching more about this world and finding different ways to find Eri. The longer he was there the more restless he felt but he wasn’t going to give up, not yet. 

“I thought I told you to stop Noya, not get Take-chan and Midoriya out here!” Tanaka’s voice brought Deku back to the present where the shaved haired teen was frowning, even with two people behind him. Deku recognized one immediately. 

“Ennoshita-san!” Deku smiled at the teen who he had only met twice now. The other teen waved with a smile as the much smaller teen next to him looked at them with shock. 

“He’s even met Chikara?!” The short teen shoved Tanaka out of the way and stood in front of Deku. Asahi put his hands up in a calming motion but it seemed the short teen didn’t care as he glared upward. “Where did you come from?”

“What-” Deku took a step back even as the short teen took another step forward. For someone who must be a few years younger, he was very aggressive. 

“Noya!” Ennoshita gripped the back of the kids shirt and pulled him back. “That’s not how we make friends.”

“Fine!” Noya’s voice had a familiarity to it that Deku couldn’t place, but it made him feel like he was going to be okay. The short kid finally was free from Ennoshita’s hold and he stared at Deku. “What’s your type?”

“My type?” Deku was confused. 

Takeda’s face went red as Asahi groaned. “Are you really asking him about his dating type in the middle of sensei’s courtyard? Can’t you just introduce yourself?”

Noya just smiled as he rolled his eyes before he held his hand out for Deku. “Nishinoya Yu, Karasuno third year, libero, and Asahi’s boyfriend. I think you like blondes.”

“M-m-midoriya Izuku!” Deku stuttered, his face going red. “I’m not in school, I don’t know what a libero is but I’m a Taurus?”

Deku thought of blond hair and angry red eyes and he couldn’t help but feel a small smile come to his lips. “And yeah, I like blondes.”

“I knew it!” Noya raised his fist in the hair as if it was the biggest victory. “I always have a sense for these things.”

And that was how Deku met Nishinoya Yu. 

…  
…  
...

“What do we know about the nomu?” Bakugo was impressed with how much of the destruction was still there. The whole area was taped off to make sure that no extras could come bother it but even then, Bakugo was sure the cops had combed it over multiple times for any clues. 

“Some sort of portal quirk.” All Might was slumped over, hands in his pockets as he also surveyed the wreckage. “It was clear it intention was to grab Eri from the start since he didn’t fight any of the heroes, only let the other nomus do the work but he did transport a few things when he missed hitting her the first few times.”

Bakugo glanced back at All Might in surprise. This was the first he was hearing any sort of information about the nomu. The older man just sighed and pointed over at some debris. 

“All the debri came from the sky about an hour after the nomu disappeared. At first we thought it was another attack but soon realized that maybe the nomus portal was not destination specific but time specific.” All Might sighed as he put his hands down. “But then . . .”

“It’s been three weeks and Deku, Eri, and the nomu-bastard are still missing.” Bakugo clicked his tongue. “Anything else I should know?”

“Uh . . .” All Might rubbed the back of his head. “Endeavor is the one who knocked you out. He was the only one close enough that could withstand your flames.”

“I figured out that much on my own.” Bakugo cursed under his breath before he turned to All Might and really took in the older man. He somehow looked skinnier even in his retirement form and Bakugo could tell the older man hadn’t been sleeping well. Bakugo clenched his fists, trying to fight back the instinct to explode something with his still healing arms before he glared at his childhood hero. “Deku didn’t get the shit beaten out of him to make sure you lived just so you could waste away just because he went missing for a few weeks, you shitty symbol!”

All Might blinked slowly at Bakugo before he gave the young blond a small smile though it felt empty and forced. 

“And you haven’t even fucking asked me about One For All or if shitty Deku passed it on to me or anything. What the fuck is wrong with you?” Bakugo ignored how his stomach rolled when he swore at All Might, he would probably never get over his hero worship of the man. The teen’s chest felt tight as he took a few steps to where he had fallen before he started to shout. “What the fuck is everyone doing?! Why haven’t you found Deku? Why hasn’t he come back! Why-”

“Young Bakugo.” All Might’s hand was on his shoulder and Bakugo wanted to blast it off but all he could manage was a strangled growl. “I didn’t ask about One For All because I know it’s gone. Wherever young Midoriya went, he took it with him.”

Bakugo honestly didn’t understand why All Might wasn’t mad. 

Why wasn’t anyone mad at him?

Ever since he had woken up, everyone had been walking on eggshells around him as if he was something delicate. Something to be protected. 

It made Bakugo sick. 

“I haven’t asked about One For All because that’s not what is important to me right now.” All Might spoke softly and Bakugo knew if he turned the retired hero would be looking away, as if to give Bakugo some privacy. “I learned my lesson as a teacher after the Kamino incident and I don’t plan to fail you again.”

“This isn’t like that!” Bakugo grabbed the front of his shirt as he turned to yell at All Might. “I was the reason you retired, I will always have to live with that, but this-”

“Bakugo…” All Might started but the teen wasn’t done. 

“He’s still alive. He’s still out there, so stop losing sleep over something that hasn’t happened yet.” Bakugo felt his palms begin to smoke before he took another breath. “Get your ass into gear, All Might!”

“All Might, stop aggravating everyone around you.” Endeavor’s voice carried over the field of destruction as the Flame Hero started walking to the pair of blondes. “I thought I told you this site was off limits.”

“Endeavor.” All Might sounded a bit sheepish and Bakugo just rolled his eyes before turning to face the Number One hero. 

“Thank you for the assist.” Bakugo grunted. 

“Assist?” Endeavor was smirking and Bakugo couldn’t help but smirk back. The teen knew the older hero hated it when Bakugo acted like a little shit but the Flame Hero also didn’t discourage it so Bakugo wasn’t going to back down. “Shoto said you were out of the hospital so I figured you would be here.”

Bakugo paused for a moment before he gave the Flame Hero a small bow. “Thank you for stopping me from making things worse.”

“A hero doesn’t need to be thanked for doing their job.” Endeavor’s voice was firm and Bakugo couldn’t help but feel some of the tension leave his shoulders. The blond rubbed the back of his head before he gave Endeavor a nod and turned back to All Might. 

“We should go to the dorms before shitty-hair comes looking for us.” Bakugo groaned, ignoring how All Might smiled at him before he started walking back towards the car. 

“I expect you to be back at my office in a week to continue your work study.” Endeavor’s voice was loud and Bakugo just clicked his tongue. He had been planning to go back to the agency sooner but at least he had a time frame for when he would be welcomed back. 

The teen could hear All Might and Endeavor exchanging words as he made his way out of the rubble. He clenched his jaw as he took in the damage one last time before he turned towards the car. The site would be rebuilt soon, the city didn’t have the space to leave wasted wreckage like this just sitting there. Bakugo slammed the door shut as he got in the car and bit his thumb. 

He needed to talk to the damn extras in his class. 

…  
…  
…

When Keishin Ukai first met Takeda-sensei, the impression had not been a good one. Keishin had been 26 years old and already comfortable with this life. He had a family shop that he was going to take over, still played volleyball with his friends and old teammates with the Neighborhood Association, and he was comfortable. 

Sure, he continued to grow out his hair and bleach it when he had a chance and maybe he smoked a little too much on some days but he had a comfortable life that he was happy with. Occasionally, Shimada would invite him out to a singles meet where Ukai could meet with young ladies and maybe even date for a bit but at the end, he never took it too seriously because Keishin wasn’t looking for love. 

His mom on the other hand? 

If she had her way he would have married immediately out of highschool and started popping out grandchildren as soon as possible. 

So after having another argument with his mom about the fact that he wasn’t looking for anything serious right now, realizing that his shop was out of his preferred brand of cigarettes (he knew his mom must have changed the order to punish him), and getting two wedding invitations from previous teammates -- he had already been pretty much done with the day. So when a young look guy in a suit walked nervously into the store, at first Keishin figured the guy was about to rob him with as nervous as he looked. 

Not that Keishin was worried, it would be the first time and he knew how to deal with these kinds by now. 

“Sir, if you’re going to rob me then at least be less nervous about it.” Keishin sighed as he turned the page of his Jump magazine. It was clear Naruto was probably going to end soon and he was already feeling a bit nostalgic for the comic. 

“I’m not here to rob you!” The nervous man seemed incredibly embarrassed even at the thought before he marched over to the counter. “Are you Ukai-san?”

Keishin took a drag of his cigarette as he eyed the man again.

“Are you Ukai Keishin? Grandson to Ukai Ikkei?” The man looked a little braver now and Keishin felt a headache coming on. The bleached haired man blew the smoke from his cigarette before he put it out in the ashtray and closed the magazine. 

“What’s it to you?” 

“Will you please coach the Karasuno volleyball team?” The man bowed deeply, nearly hitting his head on the counter and Keishin jumped at the action even as the man kept talking. “I’m Takeda Ittetsu, a teacher at Karasuno High and the faculty advisor for the team. I’m new to volleyball and don’t understand much but I know that this team is special and all they need is some-”

“No.” 

The man lifted his head a bit in confusion and Ukai sat back down in his seat. The teacher left shortly after that and Keishin called his grandfather’s hospital room only to get laughed at by the old man. Apparently the grumpy bastard had talked with a ‘passionate teacher’ from the school and had recommended the teacher reach out to Keishin instead. 

“But why? I don’t need anything else on my plate-”

“Don’t you want to do something more?” Was all his grandpa said before the old man hung up on him and Keishin found himself pissed enough to close the shop a little early and stomp over to Shimada’s place to get drunk that night. 

His grandpa’s words in the end didn’t do anything to convince Keishin to take the job, instead it was the mousy sensei who dangled a Nekoma reunion in Keishin’s face. If the coach was honest with himself, he had realized he was going to agree eventually, but he had been looking for a chance to make it on his terms and the Nekoma match had provided him that. The job would be temporary. Keishin didn’t want to give up his comfortable life for some teenagers but then-

Keishin loved volleyball. 

The job turned into something more permanent and then the little sensei that Keishin was supposed to think of as an annoyance had suddenly become someone Keishin thought about all the time. He would wake up wondering what the man was up to, he would find excuses to hang around each other a little longer, in the few weeks leading up to their first Interhigh, Keishin had become obsessed. 

“You know, it’s okay to admit you’re into him.” Shimada laughed even as Keishin spit up his beer. “Man, I’ve never heard you talk about anyone like this before. Not even Chi-chan, and you dated her for three years.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m into him.” Keishin growled, wiping the beer from his face before he decided he didn’t need to hear any more of this and then he had gone home. 

Then the Inter-high. 

They had beat Tokonami High and the team had celebrated, even when their next match was against Date Tech . . . but then they had beaten Date Tech. Keishin had felt like his blood was on fire as they prepared for their match against Aobajohsai, he had needed to do something wild and for some reason he had decided to kiss the older man. 

It had been brief, a quick peck as noise of the world around them had vanished, and Keishin had been ready to be punched only-

Only-

Sensei had blushed brightly. The older man had been so surprised but his face had lit up and Keishin had fallen in love at that instant. He wasn’t sure if he could call it love then but looking back now he knew what it was. Like all reason had escaped him and suddenly all he ever wanted in life was to make a home with Sensei. 

They lost the match to Aobajohsai.

And after they men had fed the students and had made sure each one made it home okay, sensei had grabbed Keishin’s hand and pulled the coach to his apartment. It had been a night of kisses, tears over the loss but laughter over the future, and then Keishin had discovered that yeah, he could love a man. 

He could love Takeda emotionally and physically. 

And then they were together. 

It wasn’t perfect but Keishin had never wanted perfect. He had wanted compromise and fights that were followed by make-up sex. He had wanted arguments over doing the dishes that were then followed by small gifts of forgiveness and most of all, he had wanted sensei to laugh. 

But it was starting to feel like Takeda didn’t feel the same. The teacher broke up with Ukai a week before the National Tournament over a misunderstanding when Ukai’s mom had put out a singles ad for him in the local paper. His friends and the students had laughed about it but Sensei had just told Ukai that maybe it was time. As if their end was unavoidable. 

Keishin had waited two days before ambushing the teacher in his apartment for a long weekend of make-up sex. And then they were back together. 

Then there had been the time that Saeko had found out her coworker at the restaurant was Keishin’s ex. She had brought up that Keishin was coaching the volleyball team and suddenly there was a woman that Keishin hadn’t thought about in years visiting the school. 

Sensei had broken up with him immediately. It had been confusing because nothing had happened, Keishin had even told Chisaki that he was in a relationship and she had understood. The parted with a wave and when Ukai had gone over to sensei’s place to have a drink while the older man graded papers he had found sensei in tears as the older man broke up with him again and forced the coach out of his house. 

That break up had lasted a month before suddenly it was the holidays and Keishin had found himself invading the Tanaka home to steal sensei away. 

They had shouted, argued, and then made out as they fought all the way back to Sensei’s home before Keishin had given sensei his Christmas present and then finally things had been good again. 

Only . . .

“Aren’t you tired of this yet?” The older man sighed as Keishin stood in his courtyard. It was late at night so they were keeping quiet but it was hard to see how sad the teacher was. “Your mom set you up for an omiai, you should go and meet her.”

“I already told her that it wasn’t happening.” Keishin held the cigarette to his mouth, unsure of how to get this man to believe him. “What is it going to take for you to understand that this is what I want?”

“For now.” Takeda had stared at the ground as he fiddled with his jacket sleeve. “You’ll change your mind.”

And Keishin had decided to drop it. They would make up eventually, they always did so the younger man had clicked his tongue and walked away. He didn’t go to omiai, he really wasn’t interested in anyone else, and instead he waited for the right time. 

But the right time never came because suddenly there was a strange kid hanging about. Tanaka swore it was sensei’s cousin but Ukai knew better. How a stranger that they had found on the beach turned into Takeda’s estranged cousin, Ukai would never know, but he wasn’t going to believe that lie for a second. 

“I would hate babysitting beyond the Bon Festival.” Ukai sang softly as he dusted the shelves in his shop. “The snow begins to fall, and the baby cries.”

It had been three weeks since Takeda’s “cousin” had come to stay, a full month had already passed since they had broken up and Ukai was at the end of his rope trying to find the right moment to get back together again. He had a feeling it was going to be a lot harder this time around. 

Maybe he could grab the teacher and kiss him senseless in front of Yachi if that was what it would take. 

“How can I be happy, even when the Bon festival is here?” Ukai continued to sing the old folk song with a sigh. He started moving down the shelf with his duster. “I don't have nice clothes, I don't have an obi sash to wear.”

Keishin was in love and if sensei wasn’t that was fine, but they were going to talk it out. If sensei really was done with him then . . . he didn’t know what he would do but he wouldn’t keep forcing the man to stay with him. 

The bell at the front rang and Ukai coughed on the next line of the song as he turned to greet the customer only to pause as a familiar looking green haired teen blinked back at him. “Welcome . . .”

Ukai didn’t know what the kids name was, he was sure he had heard it but he couldn’t think of it. Instead he found himself staring at the kid a bit more before he frowned. “You’re the kid with Takeda-sensei.”

The teen seemed unsure of what to say before he gave Ukai a bow. “I’m Midoriya Izuka, Takeda-sense’s cousin. I saw you at the apartment when I . . . first got here, um, but I don’t remember your name, sorry.”

“I’m Ukai Keishin, but you can call me coach Ukai. All the kids in town do now.” Ukai stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the counter before he sighed. The teen was holding a crumpled piece of paper and while it was clear he had come in looking for help, the teen could feel Ukai’s frustration and didn’t seem to know what to do next. Ukai only allowed another moment of pettiness before he took pity on the kid. “What are you looking for?”

“Ah, um.” The teen glanced at his list before looking up at Ukai. “A map of japan, a prepaid cell phone, and directions to Karasuno High.” 

That was a weird list. 

Ukai just made his way over to the shelves, grabbing the map and the prepaid cell phone before going to the register. The kid was holding a wallet that looked strangely like Takeda’s and Ukai held back at snapping at the teen as the kid paid for the goods. Once the transaction was done, Ukai drew a map on how to get to the school from his store. It was pretty much a straight shot but he made sure to include extra details just in case. 

“The number under the map is mine. Add it to your phone when you turn it on.” The teen seemed surprised before the coach sighed. “If you’re really here to stay then we’ll probably keep running into each other. Might as well be friends.”

“Got it!” Midoriya seemed to pause for a moment before he tilted his head a bit. “Maybe I can come by again?”

“Sure.” Ukai motioned towards the small table with the eclectic kettle on it. “Feel free to use the table when customers aren’t here.”

“Thank you.” Midoriya gave him a bow and then took off running. It was only when the teen and started jogging up the hill that Ukai realized Midoriya was probably going to be meeting the team today. 

Well, they really were going to be seeing a lot of each other now. 

…  
…  
...

Mirio Togata stared at the doll in his hands. 

“Do you think she’s safe?” He stroked the doll’s hair, surprised with how soft it felt. It was a doll of Nejire-chan fully decked out in her hero gear. It had been a going away present as Nejire had decided to make her hero debut overseas with her girlfriend Yuyu, who had gotten a job in support at Captain Celebrity’s agency in NYC. It had been too big of a deal for Yuyu to pass, and Nejire was too in love to try and make long distance work. 

Mirio really missed his friend right now. 

“You know I can’t answer that.” Aizawa was leaning against the door and honestly, Mirio had only been guessing that the man had been there. 

They hadn’t seen a lot of each other for the past few weeks. 

“She’s safe!” Mirio smiled brightly as he looked at the other man. It was clear that Aizawa hadn’t been doing well, the disappearance of Deku and Eri together was enough to make the Class 3-A homeroom teacher stress himself out. When Mirio had taken a leave of absence from school to help look after Eri he would have never predicted how his relationship with the grumpy sensei would have changed. It had gone from sharing responsibilities, to sharing a space, to sharing a bed in a matter of a year and Mirio had never been happier. 

They had become a family. Eri and her two awkward dads. 

Eri. 

“She is definitely safe and smiling right now, I can feel it.” Mirio tried again, forcing the words out of his mouth even if he couldn’t hide the doubt that was rolling inside him like poison. There were so many possibilities and he couldn’t do anything about it. “Deku is not someone to be taken lightly, he’ll take care of her.”

Mirio had finally gotten his quirk back and he had never felt so helpless. 

“Eri can take care of herself now, remember?” Aizawa’s voice was soft, clearly responding to Mirio’s strained tone and the blond suddenly couldn’t fight the tears in his eyes as he remembered helping Aizawa teach Eri self defense. 

She was tiny but she was strong. 

She was so strong. 

“I would give my quirk back if it meant she could be here right now.” Mirio whispered and suddenly there were arms around him. It was a bit awkward since Mirio had been sitting on Eri’s bed but he couldn’t stop crying as he pushed his face against Aizawa’s chest. The older man’s hand rested on the back of Mirio’s neck and the blond dropped the doll he had been holding so he could pull the older man closer to him. 

“Don’t say that.” Aizawa’s voice was soft, like it usually got when it had just been the three of them. “She had been so proud when she could finally control her quirk.”

“But-” Mirio pulled back so that he could look up at the other man but his words faltered at the fond look the Erasure Hero was giving him. 

“Don’t you remember how brightly she smiled when she was able to give you your quirk back?” Aizawa’s hands cupped Mirio’s face. “She wanted to see you become the hero she knew you were. You were her hero.”

“She loved you like a father.” Mirio whispered and almost wished he could take back the words because he could feel how Aizawa tensed at them but then he was pulled into a soft kiss. Aizawa sighed as he pulled away, his expression was hurt and exhausted but he didn’t let Mirio pull away from the hug as the older man kept them together. 

“You’ll have to join Bakugo in his weekend classes to help him catch up from the time he was hospitalized. You missed too many classes while you were working with Tamaki behind the Endeavor Agency’s back to find Eri and Midoriya.”

“Ah.” Mirio smiled sheepishly, knowing that he probably looked like a mess with tears still in his eyes. 

“Do that again and I’ll expel you.” Aizawa’s grip was firm on his jaw before the older man let go. “Are you sure you don’t just want to work at an agency for the year? You only have some classes you need to finish, nothing you need to start from square one on.”

Mirio had planned to take classes from square one so that he could spend more time with Aizawa and Eri but he wasn’t going to bring that up. 

Not now. 

Eri would come back. 

Deku would come back. 

“I’ll tell Tamaki we got caught, don’t be too mad at him.” Mirio let his forehead rest on Aizawa’s chest. 

“I’ll reserve my anger for you when I have the energy again.” Aizawa huffed and Mirio felt like he would be prepared for whatever the older man threw at him. Aizawa always had the most creative punishments. 

Mirio realized Eri’s doll was on the ground and stood up, making sure to lift Aizawa with him so the teacher wasn’t touching the ground. He smiled brightly as the teacher flushed red and glared down at him. “Eri would be so mad to see us making a mess in her room and being sad. We should clean it so that it’s ready for her when she gets back!”

“You’ll have to put me down for that.” Aizawa’s voice was dry and Mirio kept his smile big as he put the man down. Mirio was still growing and now had a few inches on the older man, much to his joy and Aizawa’s displeasure. 

There was a moment of silence before Aizawa let his hand stroke the side of Mirio’s arm, a small moment of tenderness from the older man before the teacher left the room. Mirio felt his smile shrink a little as Aizawa left before he reached down to pick up the doll and placed it back on top of Eri’s pillows. 

She was fine. 

She was happy. 

He still needed to find her. To make sure. 

But first he needed to go to the class 3-A dorms and make sure Bakugo knew how missed he had been. 

…  
…  
…

The first time Midoriya had shown up to Karasuno’s volleyball practice, the team nearly lost it. It had taken Ennoshita majority of their warm up to get everyone to settle down. It didn’t help that as soon as Takeda-sensei had brought the teen over, the teacher got called into a faculty meeting which left Ennoshita and Tanaka trying to do the proper introductions. 

“Izuku-san!” Hinata had jumped to formalities quickly, which didn’t surprise Ennoshita in the least. “Are you going to practice with us? Do you play volleyball? What is your position?”

“What middle school did you go to?” Kageyama didn’t even bother with pleasantries. “How tall are you? What is your reach?”

“Everyone calm down or I’m cancelling practice and we’re changing this morning to a self study session.” Ennoshita kept his voice calm as he spoke over the excitement. Everyone froze at his words, even Tanaka and the captain found himself rolling his eyes. 

Daichi-san, give him strength. 

“It’s nice to meet all of you.” Midoriya gave everyone a small bow. “I’ve heard a lot about the team from Takeda-sensei and I’m excited to see you in action. Sadly, I don’t know anything about volleyball and I won’t be joining you. I hope you don’t mind me watching.”

“Oh yeah, Takeda-sensei didn’t know anything last year either.” Narita spoke up and Ennoshita found himself sighing. 

“Time to start running.” Ennoshita clapped his hands together. “Let’s make sure we’re all nice and warmed up by the time Coach Ukai shows up.”

“Yeah!” 

Overall the rest of the practice went smoothly. The team settled down once Midoriya, or Izuku - now that Hinata had broken the seal on first names - sat down. Yachi went over to him a few times, clearly trying to explain some positions and moves and it seemed lIke Izuku was getting the hang of things. 

To Ennoshita’s surprise, Izuku started to show up to practices more frequently after that. 

Even Coach started talking to the teen between breaks, and it was weird how seamless Izuku seemed to fit in. Occasionally the teen would flinch or would stare too long at one player or the next, but overall, Ennoshita got the feeling that the team liked having an audience during their training to show off to. 

Even if it was an audience of one. 

“Ennoshita-san!” Izuku waved at the captain and Ennoshita found himself jogging over as the rest of the team continued their stretches. “Takeda-sensei said he had another faculty meeting but wanted to remind you to make sure everyone knew what time to leave next week for the Qualifiers. Apparently the schedule is different from last year?” 

“Yeah, thanks.” Ennoshita paused when he noticed Izuku was staring at the team. “Are you going to stick around and watch?”

“Wha-oh, not today but I’m going to watch you play in the tournament. I’m excited to see an official match . . . even if I’m not sure if I understand the rules yet.” Izuku rubbed the back of his head and Ennoshita couldn’t help but smile. 

There was something about this teen. 

“Hey, don’t take the captain for yourself.” Tanaka’s arm wrapped around Ennoshita’s waist and pulled the captain to him. Tanaka was smiling at Izuku and the Karasuno Captain took a deep breath to try and fight the blush that he knew was rising on his cheeks. Tanaka didn’t seem to notice as he learned further into Ennoshita’s space. “Hey captain! It’s time to practice, you don’t want the rest of the team feeling left out, do you?”

“Then get them started on serves, vice captain.” Ennoshita laughed as he shoved Tanaka away from him. The teen turned back to Izuku to see the teen staring at him and found himself blushing even more. 

Did Izuku notice? 

No. 

“I’ll be off! Have a good practice!” Izuku waved at the team before the teen took off jogging, Ennoshita had no idea where the teen would go but he pushed all thoughts of Izuku out of his head as he turned to the team. 

They had a Qualifier to win.

…  
…  
...

Six weeks. 

No sign of Midoriya, Eri, or the nomu for six weeks. 

Iida took his glasses off to rub his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he should be encouraging his classmates to use their time like this but he also knew that they wouldn’t do it any other way. They had seen enough loss in their time at UA. 

They refused to lose more. 

“Did you figure out any identifiable changes in the atmosphere when the nomu disappeared?” Iida startled for a moment before he turned to see the door to their ‘secret command center’ (as Kirishima dubbed it) was open with a bored looking Todoroki watching him. The room was an empty dorm that had been on the same floor as Todorok’s room so Iida was used to the other teen popping in when it was his shift. “If not, you need to call it a night. We know you’re the best when it comes to computers but you can let the program run and get some sleep.”

Iida nodded before he turned back to the screens. It was a miracle enough that he had gotten Tensei to help them set up this secret command center, something this older brother had been more than willing to do when Iida told him that they wanted to search for Midoriya and Eri on their own. Class 3-A had been banned from all formal involvement in the search, something that had officially been handed over from the Endeavor Agency to the Wild Wild Pussycats. 

It wasn’t that Class 3-A didn’t think the Pussycats were doing their best but it was that class 3-A had made a promise after their first year. 

No one would be left behind. 

Ever. 

And Iida meant to hold up the promise as class representative. 

“Tsu-chan and Mina should be back from their work studies this week. They were looking into some things for Bakugo, right?” Iida reached for his glasses as he turned his chair to get up. Todoroki just nodded and Iida couldn’t help but take in the sight of the teen in front of him. Everyone in class had changed over their second year, but Todoroki had gotten taller and a little bulkier. Nowhere near where Endeavor was but Iida felt that Todoroki’s body type was matching closer to Aizawa-sensei’s. 

He looked good. 

“Make sure you leave a note for Jiro. She said she was going to check in before class in the morning.” Todoroki waited at the door for Iida to leave a note before they both made their way out of the room and into the hall. 

“We’ll have to prepare for the sports festival in a few weeks.” Iida wanted to playfully punch Todoroki’s shoulder, something he had been able to do with others but for some reason couldn’t find the strength to do it with this specific teen. 

“Bakugo has won two years in a row.” Todoroki sighed before he gave Iida a small smile that had the blue haired teen’s heart racing. “Maybe you should try and take him out this year.”

Iida’s voice caught in his throat and he just shook his head. 

What he wanted to say was: Taking out a fellow classmate goes against the beliefs of UA and we should all strive to work together to improve and lift each other up!

What he really wanted to say was: If I win, will you go out with me?

What Iida settled on was, “Don’t let him hear you talk like that. He was volatile enough last year, we don’t need him going Lord Explosion Murder on us now.”

Todoroki let out a small breath that passed for his laugh. Something class A had discovered at the end of their first year and something everyone hoped to pull out of their normally stoic classmate. Todoroki paused at the elevator, clearly willing to wait to send Iida off for the night.

“Let’s try to get Midoriya back before the festival. This way he can win and suffer the wrath of Bakugo while the rest of us have a good time.” Todoroki brushed his hair behind his ear as he spoke before the elevator doors opened and he nodded at Iida. “Good night.”

Iida hoped he sounded normal when he whispered back, “Good night.”

He really did hope they found Midoirya by then. 

They had to. 

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -canon violence  
> -OC character deaths in non-canon backstories  
> -Bakugo swearing   
> -feelings and emotions
> 
> Story note: The song that Ukai sings is a Japanese folk song called the Takeda Lullaby. I wonder who he’s thinking about? 
> 
> That's it! I really hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Can't wait to see you for the next update! 
> 
> Leave a review! They give me life.


	3. Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku had big dreams and Inko would do everything in her power to support him, it was her privilege as his mom. Even when he scared her, even when things got too much or were too close, she would make sure her son knew that she was behind him all the way. 
> 
> But maybe she had still been too greedy. Had hoped for too much. 
> 
> That was the only explanation, wasn’t it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **NOTICE**  
>  As of 09/12/2020 the first two chapters have been updated with new scenes and small adjustments. This fic is also now RATED E \-- if you just jumped in, no need to go back but if you read the original chapters then I strongly recommend that you go back and re-read them. There is about 10k worth of new words. 
> 
> Canon noncompliance warning: Deku’s parents' marriage/relationship isn’t defined in the manga so I had some fun with it. Calling this out here because I know if it were defined, it would not be like this. 
> 
> Content warnings are at the bottom!

Inko was a pragmatic person. 

She was never one for big dreams or over the top wants and needs. At first she thought this meant that she was a level-headed person but in the end, because she never wanted or needed much, everything she did want became all that more important. She was prone to being overwhelmed, she cried too much, she worried about all the little things until she became a ball of sensitive nerves. When she did feel something, it was like she was feeling it to the fullest. 

She always expected the best but was prepared for the worst. 

Or at least she thought. 

When Inko married her highschool sweetheart, Hisashi, she had been prepared for a life filled with a comfortable romance, a couple of kids, and a home filled with laughter. She had majored in finance in college, something about numbers had always made sense to her and had even graduated with a job at a small at an accounting firm. Hisashi had majored in international politics and had gotten a job as an assistant in a small office that was nearby. 

They had been happy. 

But Hisashi had dreams, large aspirations that had him working harder at work. He also wanted a family so when Inko had wanted to wait a little longer before getting pregnant, Hisashi had dedicated more and more time to work. He respected her wishes and she didn’t mind the alone time. Work kept her busy and she had plenty of friends but eventually she wished that she had someone at home with her. After waiting a few years, she got pregnant with her baby boy, Deku. 

She left her job and decided to make sure her son had everything he needed. No matter what, she was going to be his support. While she was pregnant, and at times very bored, she decided to play around with stocks to put some use of her education to work. Nothing big or substantial but little bits here and there. 

Inko was pretty good at it. 

Inko met Mitsuki Bakugo at the hospital for one of her check ups. The young woman was beautiful, friendly, and extremely pushy. Inko had been a little smitten with her from the get go. How someone could be so passionate and say what they mean immediately. Inko felt dull next to her but Mistuki never seemed to feel that way. Mistuki was a few months ahead of Inko in pregnancy but still made sure to make time for Inko whenever they ran into each other. 

“I don’t have a lot of friends that are women.” Mistuki admitted to her one day with a sharp grin. “I’m too bossy, too volatile. Honestly, my husband says I’m actually pretty level-headed but I’m just quick to react. I told you that I had to bully him into marrying me, right?”

“Oh Mitsuki, you shouldn’t talk like that.” Inko had laughed and discovered how close they lived together. Their homes were only a few streets apart and they both wondered if their kids would end up going to the same school. 

Hisashi got a job posting overseas. 

It had been a surprise. Inko hadn’t realized that he had been interested in going overseas but when he told her about it, it had been like he had been talking about the weather. Something uncontrollable and expected, and he seemed surprised by her confusion. It wasn’t like he was home much anyway, they would get more money, he would have a more notable position and above all else, it’s not like they really needed each other. They were both so independent, that’s why they worked. 

Inko didn’t know what to do. 

“Want me to rough him up?” Mitsuki huffed as she rubbed her overextended belly. She was due the following week and it was clear that she almost wished her kid would just come already. “I would send Masaru but you met the man. He’s too likable.”

“Please think of your child.” Inko laughed softly. 

“I’m thinking of yours too.” Mitsuki sighed before she gave Inko a look. “You honestly don’t seem that upset. I’m not judging you, no marriage is the same but . . . maybe it’s not actually that bad for him to go?”

Inko thought long and hard about that. 

She had never wanted much, so it made the things she did want, as small as they could be, even more important. 

She wanted . . .

Katsuki Bakugo was born in April, one day before his due date and he had been the spitting image of Mitsuki. Inko held the child in her arms as she watched Mitsuki complain about being too warm, her husband Masaru pampering her before running off to ask the nurses if they could open a window. Mitsuki smiled brightly, gesturing at Inko and her swollen belly and the small baby in Inko’s arms. “Make sure you introduce them properly. I expect lots of play dates when your kid is born.”

Inko couldn’t help let out a small laugh. “You already plan to use me as free childcare and you’re not even hiding it.”

Mistuki didn’t bother to deny it as the friends just smiled at each other. 

Inko realized that she wanted more, and it was okay for her to want more. Just because other people expected her to be one way didn’t mean she had to live the rest of her life that way. 

She was allowed to be loved. 

Inko filed for divorce the next day, Hisashi didn’t argue it and agreed to pay child support. There was no ill will towards each other, and even after Hisashi moved out they still talked on the phone constantly, in fact they almost talked more now that they were separated then they had when they were married and Inko realized she had missed Hisashi her friend more then she was ever going to miss Hisashi her husband. 

Izuku was born in July, three months after Katsuki, and Inko had screamed at Mitsuki the whole time while the blond squeezed her hand. “You should have warned me it would be like this!”

“I didn’t want to scare you!” Mitsuki laughed even as Inko was sure she was hurting the other woman by squeezing her hand so hard. “Now shut up and push, let’s get this kid out of here so he can meet Katsuki.”

Izuku had been so small, quiet, and already born with a lot of green hair. Inko had cried as she held him in her arms. There had been a small disturbance outside before Hisashi had thrown himself into the room, clearly coming straight from the airport. The quiet man took one look at Inko and Izuku and started crying. “I was so worried!! Tell your friends they need to communicate better.”

Inko was confused but couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her ex-husband wiping his tears. She turned to Mistuki for an explanation and the blond just shrugged. “I told him we were rushing you to the hospital, not sure why he’s freaking out.”

“You made it sound like she was dying.” Hisashi tried to defend himself before he made his way over to Inko. “He looks like you.”

“You think so?” Inko smiled brightly, Izuku was asleep in her arms and she didn’t want to let go. Not yet. 

Inko’s life changed a lot after Izuku’s birth. She moved from their house a few streets from the Bakugo’s to a two bedroom apartment that was still nearby. Mitsuki had been upset but Inko didn’t need a lot of space, she wanted a small home for her and Izuki that she could fill with love. She was a stay at home mom, who played the stock market just enough in her free time to make sure that Izuku would never want for anything and made sure that Hisashi’s child support was put into a savings account for their son. 

Hisashi called twice a week, and sent presents from places he traveled throughout the year. Izuku never seemed to think it was weird that his dad was never around but her son had become obsessed with two things in his life and she wasn’t sure what to do about either of them.

The first obsession was All Might, which was easy enough. Inko would buy him figures and clothes, and would play along as a victim so her son could save her. 

The second obsession was Kacchan. Inko was sure that Mitsuki was cackling in the background somewhere when Inko finally realized that all Izuku would talk about was Kacchan this and Kacchan that, and look at how amazing Kacchan was. 

“It’s a childhood crush, he’ll move on!” Mistuki did cackle into the phone then, clearly proud that her son was already the center of attention. “Honestly, my kid is too smart for his own good. He’s already learning kanji. It might be good if Izuku can grow out of this crush sooner and break Katsuki’s heart. Help him learn his place.”

Inko wasn’t sure and as time moved on she became more worried for her son. 

Izuku had big dreams. Izuku, her precious boy, wore his heart on his sleeve and dove head first into everything. He took after her emotionally but other than that, he was so brave and so smart. 

He wanted to be a hero. 

He wanted to save the world, just like All Might. 

He was also, sadly, quirkless. 

Inko at first was devastated. She felt guilty about her son being quirkless but at the same time, she felt relief. Izuku would still be able to live his life passionately but maybe he would be safe from all the dangers that came with being a hero. 

He would be safe. 

But that had been her dream for him and not Izuku’s dream. She had realized her selfishness when she had tried to make him leave UA, but seeing All Might of all people bowing to her in her small apartment made her realize her own mistakes. 

Izuku had big dreams and she would do everything in her power to support him. Even when he scared her, even when things got too much or were too close, she would make sure her son knew that she was behind him all the way. 

But maybe she had still been too greedy. Had hoped for too much. 

That was the only explanation, wasn’t it. 

She had worried about her son getting into danger by idolizing All Might, and then her son had decided to become a hero with All Might as his teacher. She had worried over Izuku’s infatuation with Katsuki, hoping that he would grow out of it but instead it turned into a complicated situation of bullying, misunderstandings, and eventually, a rivalry that still startled her sometimes. 

She had wanted Izuku to be safe, but now he was gone. 

“I’m sorry that we don’t have more news.” Mandalay of the Wild, Wild Pussycats stood in front of Inko. She wasn’t in her costume but a nice dark outfit and while Inko understood what she was saying, the green haired woman was still at a loss. “We are going to continue looking for your son and for Eri, but it’s been two months. We would not be doing our jobs if we didn’t start to prepare you for the fact that there is a chance they will never be found.”

“If you came here just for this-” Mitsuki’s hand was squeezing Inko’s as she growled at the hero. 

“Mitsuki, please.” Inko’s voice was soft but she knew she was heard. She was so grateful that Mitsuki had been visiting her every day, her friend had been her rock. Hisashi was making trips on the weekends but he hadn’t been able to take a long leave from work, even for this, and Inko had appreciated him still coming but if it wasn’t for Mitsuki she was sure she would have broken by now. Inko turned her hand over so that she could squeeze Mitsuki’s hand back before she looked at the hero in her living room. “How is Kota? Izuku was so fond of that boy.”

Mandalay’s eyes teared but the hero just nodded. “If it wasn’t for Midoriya, Kota would have never opened up again after his parents death. My nephew is the hero Deku’s number one fan and always will be.”

Inko just nodded as she took a breath. 

Had it really already been two months? Eight weeks with no sign of her son?

“I know this is painful to hear, and I hope you know how much your son has meant to me, my nephew, and the Pussycats, but given the situation of his disappearance and the villains involved-”

“You’ll want to do a memorium after he’s been gone for six months.” Inko whispered. She had done her research on missing heroes. What was to be expected, what happened when they were found again. Izuku always told her that he found comfort in research but she hadn’t found any comfort for her in what she had found. 

“Wait, now-” Mistuki sighed. “You want to do a memorium if he’s gone for six months? Then why bring it up now? You still have four-”

“It’s standard procedure.” Mandalay bowed her head. “If Izuku was a normal citizen then there would be years before he was declared dead but since he was a hero, we want to make sure to honor his sacrifice while-”

“While the public still remembers who he is.” Inko nodded. There was a thump of the front door opening down the hall and Inko sat up for a bit, unsure of who could be visiting, let alone who would let themselves in like this. 

“Hag, you here?” Bakugo’s voice shouted from the entrance way and Inko felt tears well up at the sound of his voice. 

She was so glad he was okay. 

He had been visiting every now and then since he had woken up from the hospital and Inko wondered if it was for her, his mom, or if it was for Izuku. It didn’t really matter, at the end, she was glad that Katsuki had been okay and had woken up from his coma. She had seen the teen reach for her boy in the video that had played on the news nonstop for a few days and she knew he felt responsible for Izuku’s disappearance. 

It wasn’t his fault, and she would never blame him, but Mitsuki told her to save her breath. It didn’t matter what Inko said, Katsuki would still blame himself. 

“In here brat!” Mitsuki shouted back. 

“I just wanted to pass on this information.” Mandalay gave Inko a smile before she placed a folder on the table. “We will keep looking but please take a look at this. If you have any questions, you have my personal number so please feel free to call.”

“Thank you, Mandalay-san.” Inko gave the woman a small bow from her seat, unsure if she could trust her legs to stand. Mandalay gave both women a bow as Katsuki came into the room, the older hero put her hand on his shoulder before letting herself out of the apartment. 

“Hag, Inko-obasan.” Katsuki stayed by the entrance to the living room until the door clicked shut behind Mandalay and then he let himself in. “What did she want?”

“I’m going to make some tea.” Mitsuki groaned as she got to her feet before turning to Inko. “Do you want just tea or want me to make something stronger?”

Inko couldn’t help but let out a laugh at her friend as she shook her head. “Just tea, thank you. You know where everything is?”

“I got it.” Mitsuki waved them off before making her way to the kitchen. Inko watched her for a moment before she turned to Katsuki. The blond was glaring at the packet Mandalay had left behind on the coffee table as if he knew what it was and was trying to set it on fire with his gaze. 

“They just wanted to make sure I was informed about what would happen if he’s still not found at the six month mark.” Inko tried to keep her voice light but she felt it waver. She didn’t want to cry in front of Katsuki, didn’t want to do anything in front of a kid Izuku had respected so fervently that would embarrass her son, but she couldn’t help the tears as they came to her eyes. 

“Fuck.” Was the only warning she got before suddenly Bakugo was next to her, pulling Inko to a tight hug. “Stop crying.”

Inko couldn’t stop even if he was the one asking her. She felt so small in Katsuki’s arms and it was weird for her to realize only now how much he had grown. To her he would also be the tiny baby in her arms who had been born a day early from his due date. She shook her head, trying to stop the tears as she tried to think of what Izuku would want her to say. 

“Fucks sake, at least he came by being a cry baby honestly.” Katsuki grumbled and Inko found herself nodding. 

“Izuku cried a lot, didn’t he?” She laughed a bit, though her face was wet. 

“All the goddamn time!” Katsuki sighed and Inko wondered what expression he was making but didn’t want to push out of the hug just yet. They stayed like that for a moment, both of them just listening to Mitsuki putter around the kitchen before Inko felt like she wasn’t going to embarrass Izuku anymore. 

Inko took a deep breath as she set back, Katsuki let her go but stayed seated next to her and Inko was happy to have him there. She gently grabbed his hand, noticing how the rough his fingers had gotten in his training. His hand wasn’t as scarred as Izuku’s had been, but she could tell how hard he had been working over the past few years. 

“Katsuki-kun-” Inko started before she took a breath and finally looked him in the eye. “Is Izuku alive?”

“I know he is.” Katsuki didn’t even hesitate to answer, he just held on to Inko’s hand a little tighter. “And I’m going to bring him back.”

And it was unfair, this teenager was taking on all the responsibility of her son’s disappearance. It was unfair to Katsuki, and Inko knew she should tell him to stop. To focus on himself, to be the hero that Izuku had always wanted him to be because even after nearly 18 years together, Izuku still believed in Kacchan. 

But Inko couldn’t tell him to stop. 

She didn’t want to. 

Because as nice as it was to have Mitsuki by her side, to have everyone supporting her while the search for Izuku continued, having Katsuki believe so unflinchingly that her son was still out there was more than she could ask for at the moment. 

Izuku was still alive. 

He had to be. 

…  
…  
...

Deku had hit a wall. 

Two months of running around, two months of nonstop research and he had nothing to show for it. Asahi hadn’t heard back from his friend on the police force but the older teen had promised to keep Deku updated one way or another. 

He couldn’t find a trace of Eri. 

He couldn’t find a trace of how he had gotten here or how he would be able to get back. 

This world was like his own but history was drastically different in odd ways and strangely the same in others. Quirks were not a thing here, but occasionally there would be incidents or miracles around the world that could resemble what Deku would consider a quirk. He didn’t have the technology to look deeper into things aside from what was available online, and while technology seemed to be on par in some cases from what he remembered from his world . . . it also seemed so far behind. 

Nothing worked with his phone from his world. 

Deku didn’t know why but he felt that if he was able to turn his phone on then maybe he would be able to make sense of everything. Maybe he could actually reach his friends or his family. 

Anyone. 

Deku glanced at the small bag in the corner that held what little belongings he had. His hero costume, his wallet with his UA school identification, his provisional hero license, and what little money he had at the time. Not that his money was good in this world. There were three smoke bombs, quirk resistant handcuffs (the nullifying handcuffs were too clunky for most hero costumes but these did a pinch), a small first aid kit that had been used so many times none of the brands inside of it matched anymore, an earpiece, and lastly a small keychain with a tiny All Might figure on it.

The keychain had been a gift from Kacchan in their second year. The blonde hadn’t said anything, had just thrown it at Deku before stomping off to his dorm but it had somehow become a good luck charm for Deku while he was on patrol. It seemed silly now, carrying something like that.

The teen bit his thumb as he started to think of anything he hadn’t done yet. Was this really it? Was he stuck in this world, quirkless again after all this time? A world without heroes? If he wasn’t stuck then what did he need to do, was there anything that he could do? 

But . . .

If he was stuck here? 

“Midoriya-kun!” Takeda-sensei’s voice interrupted Deku’s thoughts. The teen hissed when he bit his thumb too hard and found himself checking it to make sure he didn’t bite through the skin. There was some movement in the other room before the older man spoke up again. “Are you here? Why are all the lights off?”

Deku hadn’t even realized how dark it had gotten. He found himself scrambling to his feet and hitting the light switch before he made his way out of the room. “Sorry, I-”

“He’s adorable!” A short haired, busty woman was suddenly in Deku’s face. “Take-chan and Ryu thought they could hide you from me!”

“Waahhh!” Deku hit the back of his head on the wall as he tried to put some space between them. He knew his face was red, he still was insanely awkward around busty women and he didn’t think he would ever grow out of it. _(That’s funny, you don’t seem to mind Bakugo’s chest when it’s in your face and his tits are bigger than mine!)_ A memory of Iida yelling at Uraraka to not say the word ‘tits’ ran through his head and made Deku blush harder. 

“Saeko! Give him some space!” Tanaka-san’s voice caught Deku’s attention as the short haired teen glared at the woman. “Sorry, Midoriya! This is my sister, she has no boundaries. Feel free to ignore her.”

“Ryu, be nice.” Saeko and Takeda-sensei spoke at the same time before they laughed. 

“Um, uh, I’ll just go over there?” Deku ducked around the woman, Saeko, and made his way into the small kitchen where Takeda-sensei was bringing out containers of take out. “Sorry, I could have made something if I had known . . .”

“Make something? Take-chan, he looks like he should be in school, not playing housewife!” Saeko hit Takeda-sensei on the arm. Deku choked at her words, ready to defend the teacher but Saeko just winked at him. “I’m teasing. They told me not to ask you too many questions, so I’ll respect your privacy BUT I still want to know more about you! So let’s get to know each other!”

Deku couldn’t help but shutter. She must be this world’s Hatsume, no other way around it. 

“Midoriya Izuku, it’s nice to meet you.” Deku held out his hand. She paused when she saw the scars, just like everyone else did but she barely missed a beat before she was shaking his hand. 

“Tanaka Saeko! Call me Saeko-nesan and we’ll get along great. Especially since it seems like my brother and Take-chan have already brought you into the family.” Saeko released his hand before she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and dragged him to the table. “Now let’s drink!”

“He’s a minor!” Takeda-sensei’s voice had Saeko laughing but Deku made sure to stick to the bottle of Pocari that Ryu had brought him. 

Dinner was overall harmless, if long. Ryu had fallen asleep in Takeda-sensei’s bed an hour ago when it became evident that Saeko wasn’t going to leave anytime soon. Takeda had cleaned the table and was now doing dishes while he hummed some weird song to himself. Deku smiled at the atmosphere, even as Saeko sipped on her third bottle of beer it had felt pretty close to a rowdy night at the dorms. 

He missed his friends. 

“So, is there a reason you haven’t gone back home yet?” Saeko didn’t lower her voice, which meant that Deku heard the dish slip out of Takeda’s hands at the sink. The older man was clearly listening to them but Deku didn’t need the older man to save him. 

He needed to come to terms with his new reality. 

“I don’t think I can.” Deku admitted. He found himself looking at the table as he said the words out loud. 

They suddenly felt too real. 

“You don’t need to tell me the details but from what I understand, you’ve been here for two months now? What do you plan to do?” Saeko waved her hand at Takeda’s sputtering, clearly telling the man to stay out of it.

What did he plan to do?

Deku had no way to get back home and that meant he was stuck here, in a Japan he didn’t know. In a world he didn’t know. What could he do? What he was taught in school was basically useless in a world where things were so different. He didn’t have any ID for this world, or even proof that he existed. What would he even be allowed to do?

His chest squeezed together. 

“Hey!” Deku flinched when Saeko snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Take a deep breath, I promise I’m not going to kick you out of here. I’m just curious.”

“I . . . I-” Deku swallowed the lump in his throat, his chest felt tight but now that he was looking at her, he felt a little better. She was just asking for her family’s sake, Deku could understand that. “I don’t know. I think it’s finally hitting me that I won’t be able to go back and-”

“Saeko!” Ryu was suddenly there and he was hitting his sister on the head. “Why is he crying? You said you would be nice!”

“No, it’s!” Deku felt like such an idiot as everything he had been bottling finally started pouring out of him. He couldn’t stop the tears even if he tried. “Don’t hit her, it’s fine!”

“I didn’t mean to make you sad!” Saeko looked genuinely distraught. “Don’t worry! Whatever happens, we’ll help you out. Like I said, you’re family now. It’ll be okay.”

“But I’m never going to see my mom again.” Deku tried to explain but he felt so childish as the tears kept coming. Could he even call himself a third year? Kacchan would be so mad. “I don’t have any identification, how am I going to get a job? I didn’t even finish highschool and - and - and I wanted to be a hero! I wanted to start my own agency with Kacchan! My friends, I won’t be there for them anymore and-”

“Shh.” Saeko grabbed Deku’s chin and made him tilt his head back as she leaned over the table. “I don’t know your circumstances and I promised I wouldn’t ask but I said we would help you and I meant it. Now stop crying before Takeda-sensei starts crying with you . . .oh, too late! Take-chan, why are you crying?!”

“I’m not crying.” Takeda was clearly lying as he wiped his face. The older man sat in the chair next to Deku and put his hand on the teen’s shoulder. “Let’s worry about what we can control first, okay? Then we’ll figure out the rest.”

“Yeah! If you really need an ID, I know a guy who-” Saeko winced when Takeda hit her on the head. “Everyone should stop hitting me!”

“We’re not doing anything illegal!” Takeda sighed before he glanced at the clock. “Saeko, Ryu, you both should head home. Ryu, we still have an early start for the day with practice.”

The siblings moved as slowly as possible as they got their stuff together. Deku managed to wash his face before he went to see them off at the door, where it was only a little awkward until Saeko pulled him into a hug. Ryu separated them quickly and both the siblings left with a small wave before it was just Takeda and Deku alone in the apartment. 

“I know this might not be what you want but . . .” Takeda started before he paused and smiled over at Deku. “You are welcome to stay for as long as you need. We will help you figure everything out. And the Miyagi Prefecture Interhigh Qualifier is coming up soon, so I’m sure the team will be happy to have you there. They might not replace the friends you left behind but I know they’ll be happy to be your friend now.”

Deku didn’t know how he felt about that. He needed to start figuring things out if he really was going to be stuck here for the rest of his life. 

Maybe focusing on something else would be good for him. 

…  
…  
…

Monoma sighed as he made his way out of Shinso’s room. It was still early in the morning but it would only be a matter of time before his own dorms started to wake and he needed to be caught in his own room for once. The blond smirked at the fact that he had stolen one of Shinso’s tee shirts, not that he needed to steal from the purple haired teen but sometimes it was just more fun that way. 

“stpit”

The blond paused as he heard a weird sound down the hall. 

The only two people on this floor were Shinso and Todoroki, since Midoriya was missing, and that meant that Monoma had a good idea of what was happening. He didn’t want to wake Shinso up again if he didn’t have to so Monoma made his way to the “not-so-secret headquarters” that class 3-A was trying to keep on the downlow. The teen cracked the door open to see no one was in there and cursed at his luck. 

It was pretty late. 

“nnghn” 

Which left Monoma’s problem. 

He went to Todoroki’s room and tapped on the door. He heard some rustling but nothing happened so he teen opened the door slowly. The red and white teen was clearly in the middle of a nightmare, something that had been happening on and off all year. Monoma wasn’t sure what the cause of it was but the few times he left the teen alone had usually ended up with class A’s dorms being evacuated for a fire drill. 

“Todoroki.” Monoma whispered even though he knew it would do nothing. The blond swore to himself as he reached over to shake the teen awake. “You’re in the dorms.”

“STOP!” The teen shoved Monoma off him, sending the blond to the floor but Monoma managed to roll out of the way before ice filled the spot where he had been. 

Monoma paused when Todoroki blinked at ice in the room. The teen seemed to realize what had just happened and he turned to look at Monoma in surprise. “Wha-”

“You really need to talk to someone.” Monoma sighed as he got to his feet. He dusted his pants off before putting his hands on his hips. Todoroki was still silent and seemed to not know what to say so Monoma decided to just end the awkward moment. “So, I’m going to go..”

“Sorry.” Todoroki whispered before the teen got up to start melting the ice. 

“Don’t wake up Shinso.” Monoma didn’t bother to look back as he made his way out of the room. He could tell the sun away already trying to make its way up and that meant Kendo was going to yell at him as soon as he made it in. 

Monoma sighed. 

Maybe he should just go back to Shinso’s room. 

…  
…  
…

“Didn’t you come here for this?” Kuroo kissed the back infront of him. Kenma’s dyed hair and dark roots were splayed on the mattress as the teen tried to hide his face in the pillows. Kuroo already had three fingers thrusting in and stretching the younger teen but the college student wanted his boyfriend to turn and face him. “I thought this is what you wanted and you’re hiding from me?”

“Nnghn.” Kenma bit his lip when Kuroo grabbed the teen’s arm to flip him over. The younger teen glared up at Kuroo but the college student knew not to take it personally. 

“Since you’re so determined to keep quiet, I’ll make you tell me what you want.” Kuroo licked a stripe up Kenma’s abdomen before kissing one of the younger teen’s nipples. “Either you can ride me while I work very hard to keep you quiet with some kisses . . . or we sixty-nine this and you can choke on my cock while I eat you out?”

“Why are you like this?” Kenma’s voice was rough as he threw his arm over his face. Kuroo didn’t take it personally, instead the older teen licked Kenma’s other nipple and proceeded to give it all the attention he could while Kenma clearly debated his own next move. Kuroo bit on the nub before he kissed his way across Kenma’s chest to the now neglected nipple.

“Do you want me to choose?” Kuroo bit down and smirked as Kenma grabbed his hair and pulled it back. Kuroo hissed at the action, Kenma’s grip was tight but the older teen couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy it. 

“Maybe I’ll leave you like this?” Kenma muttered but then he shoved Kuroo back and crawled on top. The smaller man didn’t wait for Kuroo to get comfortable before he was already lining up Kuroo’s dick and pressing back and it made the older teen groan. 

“C-condoms.” Kuroo hissed as Kenma didn’t slow down. “Kenma, we should-”

Kuroo was silenced by Kenma’s hands in his hair again, the younger teen pulling him up by it so that they were face to face as Kenma’s ass finally settled with Kurro fully inside him. The younger teen bit at Kuroo’s lip before he pulled back with a glare. “Are you cheating on me?”

Kuroo would be an idiot if he was. “Never.”

“Then just help me clean up afterwards.” Kenma started grinding his hips and Kuroo hissed at the friction. The older teen grabbed Kenma’s hips to start setting a more steady rhythm even as Kenma bit at his lips again. “Where are my kisses?”

Kuroo was in love. 

He would never know how he got so lucky. 

“Forgive me.” Kuroo purred as he pulled Kenma into a deep kiss that had them both fighting for control. Kuroo didn’t want to give up his grip on the younger teen’s hips so he didn’t fight back as Kenma continued to pull his hair, making the kiss deeper. 

There had never been any love confessions or passionate outpouring of feelings between the two. They had just naturally graduated from childhood friends to teammates that fool around to boyfriends who fucked based on the younger one’s schedule. Not that Kuroo was complaining, he didn’t want to hear from the team if Kenma’s setting performance was off -- and Kuroo definitely didn’t want Kenma to ban sex in retaliation of a poor setting performance. 

It hadn’t happened yet but Kuroo felt like he was always pushing his luck. 

“Fuck.” Kenma groaned into Kuroo’s moth and his hips started to falter. The older teen grinned as he pulled Kenma tighter against him and started thrusting in earnest. “Nn-wait, Ku-ro-”

“I want to feel your insides clenching as I come inside.” Kuroo purred again and Kenma didn’t have a chance as his face went beat red and he came across Kuroo’s stomach. The older teen hissed and pressed himself as deeply as possible as he finally came. 

“I can’t believe you said that.” Kenma’s face was still red as he panted against the older teen. “I’m breaking up with you, now take me to the shower.”

Kuroo groaned as his own muscles told him to rest but he didn’t bother to listen to them as he pulled Kenma close and lifted the smaller teen off the bed. The shower was quick and ended with Kuroo giving Kenma a handjob as the older teen whispered dirty things into the younger teen’s ear. 

Basically, it was a perfect weekend night for them. 

“How is college?” Kenma hummed. His face was already playing his PSP and Kuroo just kissed his boyfriend's hair before he laid back against the pillows. 

“Classes are harder.” Kuroo yawned, “How is your blog going?”

“It’s a vlog and it’s fine.” Kenma paused his game for a moment, clearly a thought coming to his head as he turned to the older teen. “Shoyo met a weird kid, says he has a phone that won’t work. I told him to bring the kid and the phone to training camp.”

“Ha, did you ask coach if it was okay?” Kuroo laughed when Kenma started his game again. The older teen just rolled his eyes. “Whatever, don’t blame me when you get in trouble.”

…  
…  
...

Eraserhead had a lot of regrets in his life. In fact, he could swear that all his successes were tied to his biggest regrets. 

When he finally learned what kind of hero he wanted to be, he also found out he was never going to see Shirakumo again. The Kurogiri incident notwithstanding, Eraserhead and Present Mic made sure that their friend was resting in peace once everything settled at the Jaku General Hospital incident. 

When he finally understood what he was willing to do to keep Eri alive, it turned out that he had lost her forever. He would never regret losing his leg to ensure he could still use his powers to help her but now it felt more like a reminder about it didn’t matter how much he was willing to give of himself to save a little girl, he wouldn’t be able to save everyone. 

The day he lost Eri, he had been holding her one second then had been getting stabbed the next. He still wasn’t sure how he had missed Toga that day but it didn’t matter because he had been down. Aizawa honestly didn’t know why he was still alive considering how much time Shigaraki had spent trying to kill him but the man figured it was only because Toga hadn’t wanted to kill him that day. 

So Eraserhead lived and instead Eri and Deku were missing. 

“Don’t look so glum, chum.” Present Mic elbowed Eraserhead in the side with a smile. “I know your boy Mirio isn’t participating with the other third years but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be excited for the rest of your class! Who do you think will come out on top this year? Bakugo has been reigning champ for two years in a row, will he make it a third?”

“Save the narration for the spectators.” Eraserhead sighed before the older man glanced over to where the faculty was sitting. Sure enough, Mirio was sitting with All Might, clearly trying to explain something to the retired hero as he used his hand gestures. Mirio’s smile was there but it wasn’t as bright as it used to be. 

Eraserhead wondered if it ever would be. 

“Seriously, Shota.” Present Mic dropped his sunglasses to look at his friend. “Nemuri and I are worried about you both. How are you?”

“Tell Midnight to worry about herself.” Eraserhead sighed before he glanced over at his friend. “It’s been over two months and so far the most plausible thing I’ve heard has been that Eri’s quirk reacted poorly to the nomu’s and ended up destroying all three of them.”

“What the-”

“Apparently the time quirk that the Pussycats were chasing after ended up being a dead end. They got information and now are exploring another route but they’ve been very honest with the fact that I shouldn’t hold my breath.” Eraserhead rubbed his leg, stroking from the thigh to where the prosthetic was. “They told Mordiya’s mom that if nothing changes, they’ll hold the memorial in October.”

“How is Mirio taking this?” Present Mic kept his voice soft, clearly trying to show how genuine he was with his question. This wasn’t Aizawa’s schoolmate making fun of him for falling in love with a younger man, this was Aizawa’s best friend asking about Aizawa’s partner. 

“He’s taking it worse than Sir Knigheye’s passing.” Aizawa admitted. “At least then he had a mentor’s dream to live up to. Now? He just lost a little girl and a fellow student hero, both of whom he loved like family.”

“And you? How are you taking it?” 

“I don’t sleep most nights.” Eraserhead admitted. “But honestly, class 3-A is giving me enough stress that I can keep my mind off it some days. They think they’re doing a good job hiding the fact that they’re all working together to find Deku and Eri on their own.”

“They should know better than to try and keep things from you at this point.” Present Mic smiled softly and Eraserhead snorted. “What are you going to do?”

“Right now? Nothing. I’m letting them use it to help them cope.” Eraserhead hit his head on the back of the chair he was sitting in. “As soon as things start turning south, I’ll call them out on it but for now I can at least pretend it’s them using what they’ve been learning in class and trying it out in their free time. The one I’m most worried about is Bakugo.”

“I heard he’s been a model student this year so far, at least model for him. He’s only cussed me out twice in English, but at least he’s using the right language when he does.” Present Mic turned his attention to the stadium that was already filled. 

“That’s the problem. I know Bakugo and the worse off he is the more he’ll bottle it inside. All Might seemed to think they had a good talk when Bakugo was discharged from the hospital but I’m not convinced. Bakugo is long overdue for a breakdown and the longer it takes, the worse I think it’s going to be.” Eraserhead sighed as Midnight waved to them from the ground. “We’ll be starting soon.”

“You know.” Present Mic glanced out at the ground and Eraserhead found himself turning to the man to see what he was going to say. “There is a chance Bakugo has changed. Losing a friend can do that to you and from what I understand, Midoriya was THE friend for him.”

Eraserhead couldn’t argue with that. Instead the man glanced at the audience one more time to see Mirio now saying something to Vlad and the man couldn’t help but feel a little lighter at the sight of the blond. 

“ALL RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!” Present Mic screamed into the microphone and Eraserhead found himself closing his eyes as his friend started the UA Sports Festival for the third years. 

Maybe Mic had been on to something. 

Maybe Bakugo had changed and the teen was actually as okay as possible, given the circumstances. But just in case, Aizawa was going to keep an eye on him anyway. 

He was going to keep an eye on all of his students. 

…  
…  
…

Volleyball was . . . amazing. 

Deku stared wide-eyed as the tiny Hinata went head to head with a giant white-haired kid. Date Tech seemed to have a history with the Karasuno team with the way the players would interact with each other but it all seemed like healthy competition. Regardless, the game was intense. 

“Do you think you’re getting the hang of it now?” Shimada-san laughed as he smiled over at Deku. “You seemed confused in the first few matches so I was hoping you might have learned something now in the final.”

“Kageyama is amazing.” Deku whispered before he smiled at the older man. “They all are! I can’t believe how much Shoyo jumps around, and Ryu! I keep getting scared that he’s going to get blocked!”

“Don’t doubt my baby brother.” Saeko laughed as she hooked her arm around the tall man next to her. Deku had just met him today and apparently he was Tsukishima’s older brother that had gone to school with Saeko. “They’re going to win this!”

Deku honestly wasn’t so sure. He turned his eyes back to the match to see Hinata get blocked by Date Tech’s Iron Wall. 

Talent. 

In this world they had skills and talent. 

“Do you know where Asahi went?” Shimada’s friend Takinoue glanced around. “Or the two first years who were supposed to be cheering with us?”

“He’s buying them ice cream.” Seako laughed. “They had called him senpai and praised his spiking and the idiot didn’t have a chance. He’s always been a sucker for tiny people with big eyes.”

Nishinoya dove across the floor to make sure the ball didn’t touch the ground and Deku cheered as Ennoshita was able to connect and send it over the net. Deku wished he had brought his notepad, wondering if he should start making stats for the players. 

What were their weaknesses? Their strengths? Was Hinata the highest jumper on the team or did it just seem that way because of his height? How could Nishinoya move like that? Deku blinked when the whistle blew and there was a moment of heavy silence in the gym. He found himself sitting up as he realized what had just happened. 

Karasuno had lost. 

Date Tech had won the Qualifier. 

“Woooooo!” Hinata was jumping to the other side of the net tackling the tall white haired blocker into a hug. The rest of Karasuno followed as the teams rejoiced in Date Tech’s win. 

Was it always like this? 

“Date Tech hasn’t won a Qualifier in eleven years.” Shimada seemed to be in awe for a moment. “I’m sad we lost but still.”

It didn’t take long before they were being pushed out of the gym. Deku found the team easily enough, they were all outside doing stretches. He made sure to praise Nishinoya and Shoyo, who both acted like it was no big deal before running off to brag about it to Ryu. Deku just laughed before he realized that a few people were missing. 

“Ennoshita-senpai needed a moment.” Yachi was at Deku’s side with a bottle of water. “Do you mind taking this to him? He should be around the corner.”

“Of course.” Deku smiled as he put down his bag and jogged over to the side of the building. Ennoshita was there, the team captain staring at the sky as if he had started to stretch but then got lost in thought as he laid on his back. Deku startled the teen when he handed over the bottle of water. “Yachi wanted you to have this.”

“Oh, thanks.” Ennoshita sat up and took a drink before coughing a bit. He glanced at Deku before smiling softly to himself. 

“What?” Deku sighed as he joined the other teen in the grass. “I feel like you and Yachi are playing a joke on me whenever she asks me to hand you something.”

Ennoshita’s face blushed but the teen waved Deku off. “No, it’s not a joke. Yachi has a theory and she’s been trying to test it out to help me. I think she’s wrong, and even if she was right, it wouldn’t really help me.”

Deku considered that for a moment. He tried to think of his interactions with the team so far and found himself flushing a little bit as he wondered. “Yachi wants to know if I like men?”

“I told her no, that you’re not . . . you know . . “ Ennoshita tried to explain before he realized what he said and felt his face go hot. “It’s just that, you always watch the team. It seems like you know everything but you never say anything.”

Deku thought about what Ennoshita might be referring to and found himself really only seeing one possibility. “I know you like Tanaka-san . . . but I don’t think he knows?” 

The green haired teen put his fingers together as he tried to think of his interactions with the team and this world at large. “This japan is different from mine. Where I’m from, homosexual relationships weren’t out of place . . . but here, they seem pretty common but no one talks about it. Unless it’s Nishinoya, he’s very vocal about Asahi. But then there is Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai, it’s clear that they had a thing but it’s also clear that it’s not something I can bring up. Is everyone more conservative here? I wonder if-”

“Your japan?” Ennoshita laughed. “Izuku, you’re a weird guy.” 

Deku laughed at that. He really couldn’t argue with Ennoshita on that point, but he was glad that no one really took what he said seriously. “Ennoshita . . . um, Chikara-kun, just so you know, I don’t know what I am but I don’t have a problem if you like Tanaka-san.”

Ennoshita gave Deku a small and sad smile. “It’s a hopeless love anyway.”

“What makes you-” Deku started before there was some shouting and suddenly Yachi was coming around the corner. 

“Hurry up, guys! Sensei is about to drive away without you!” She smiled at them both, clearly not mad, before she took back off towards the bus. Ennoshita just got to his feet before he pulled Deku up from the ground and they made their way back over to the bus. 

“Chikara!” Nishinoya was yelling despite Takeda-sensei telling him to calm down. “Third years are staying on, right?”

“Of course!” The captain laughed, even as Takeda-sensei started getting onto Ryu and Nishinoya about their grades. Deku just smiled at the group and found himself following Yachi on the bus. She gave him a bright smile and he made sure to smile back before he took a seat behind the driver. 

Deku was still sure there were things he didn’t understand about the sport but the more he saw of it the more he had to admit. 

Volleyball was cool. 

…  
…  
…

Bakugo stared at the gold medal around his neck and sighed. He pulled it off and threw it over on his desk so that he would remember to send it to his mom later. 

So he had won the Sports Festival three years in a row, so what? It didn’t matter. His real opponent was still missing and it was clear that Todoroki was holding back on using his fire again. Honestly, Bakugo had probably gone a little too hard at the end and was grateful that no one had actually been hurt but he had been worried about Iida’s leg for a brief moment. 

Bakugo had been first, because of course. Four eyes had come in second after suffering a defeat in the end. Bakugo had thought the match had gone well but Iida’s speed was no match for Bakugo’s raw explosive power and Bakugo had managed to knock the class representative out of the ring. Momo and Tokoyami had tied for third which had surprised Bakugo.

He had honestly thought he was going to face Ponytail in the finals but Iida had out maneuvered her in the end. Tokoyami had faced Bakugo again and like always, they were just a bad match. Didn’t mean that Dark Shadow wasn’t getting stronger but Bakugo was just sly enough to use his advantage in that match and win. 

Bakugo honestly didn’t remember much of the festival. He wasn’t sure if it was because he had gone on instinct from the start or if it was because his heart hadn’t been there but there was something off about the whole event. Bakugo knew what it was but he didn’t want to say it out loud. 

Deku’s missing presence had felt like poison throughout the whole event. 

“Fuck this.” Bakugo grabbed the gold medal from his desk and made his way out of his dorm and to the stairs. It didn’t take long before he was in front of Midoriya’s room, the room that had remained untouched since Deku’s disappearance. Bakugo didn’t want to admit how much time he had been in this room since Deku had been missing but sometimes it made him feel better just to see the nerd’s space. 

Made him feel sane. 

Bakugo shoved his way inside, prepared to throw his medal on Deku’s desk for the nerd to find when he got back but was startled to see Round Face was sitting on Deku’s bed. “Huh?”

“Oh, sorry!” Uraraka jumped up before she frowned and sat back down. “Wait, I can stay here. He was my friend too.”

“That’s not what-” Fuck it, Bakugo wasn’t going to explain himself. He shut the door and threw the medal on Deku’s desk like he planned before turning to the usually upbeat girl. “Why the fuck are you here so late?”

“I wanted to ask Deku what I should have done differently today.” Uraraka snapped at him, clearly in her own mood and it made Bakugo clench his jaw. They had been getting along better recently, he didn’t want to back track. “But since I can’t talk to him, I thought I would just sit here for a bit. Is that okay?”

“You can do what you want!” Bakugo growled before he took another breath. He sighed as he rubbed his face before he motioned to the bed. “Do you want company or is this a pity party thing?”

“You can stay.” Uraraka mumbled so Bakugo took a seat next to her. He stared at the All Might figures and then wondered if any new ones had been released since Deku had been gone. 

Wondered if he should buy them for the nerd for when he got back. 

They both sat there in silence for a bit. Uraraka hugged Deku’s All Might pillow as she stared at the walls. 

“Do-” Uraraka started before she shook her head.

"Do you really think he's out there?" Uraraka sounded small and frail and nothing how Bakugo was used to seeing her as. They sat next to each other on Deku's bed, both facing Deku's stupid desk with action figures and Bakugo didn't have it in him to lie to her. 

He could only tell her what he believed.

"He's alive." His voice was rough, probably from all the growling throughout the day but he made himself continue talking. The words pained him but he had to force them out. "He's alive but . . . but I don't think he can come back. I don't think he knows how." 

And didn’t that suck? All of class 3-A was doing everything in their power to bring him back. Pro Heros were doing everything in power to bring Deku back but -- it wasn’t enough. 

Nothing was enough. 

"If he did, he would be back already." Uraraka smiled but there was nothing happy about it. 

"That's why I'm going to find a way to get him back for him." Bakugo pressed his fingers together. He could trust her, Deku trusted her so he could trust her. "I'm going to drag him back here by any means necessary." 

It wasn’t like he was admitting to anything no one could guess anyway but Bakugo wasn’t going to stop. If Deku was still missing by the time they graduated then Bakugo wasn’t going to debut as a hero, he was going to spend the rest of his life trying to find the nerd and bring him back . . . because that is what Deku would do for him. 

And because he needed Deku back. 

There was a pause in the room and Bakugo found himself glancing over to Uraraka staring at him. She didn't seem upset, her eyes seemed watery but she just watched him for a moment. He met her gaze calmly, even though he wanted to turn away and blow something up, he wasn't going to make a mess of Deku's room. 

"I used to be so jealous of you." Uraraka reached out and grabbed Bakugo's hand, making sure their eyes never wavered from each other. "All I wanted was for him to see me but it always felt like he was chasing after you. Always chasing you." 

Bakugo didn't know what to say to that. She was wrong, of course she was wrong, because Bakugo had seen how Deku had blushed when she had gotten near him. Had seen how the green haired teen always seemed to gravitate towards her when there was free time. How Deku's eyes would light up when she laughed at his jokes. Bakugo had been the one who had been jealous. 

She was the friend he hadn't been able to be. 

"Fuck." Was all he was able to say but Uraraka seemed to understand because she smiled a little more brightly at him. 

What a pair they made.

“I’m not in love with him.” She continued, turning away and squeezing the All Might pillow. “I know that everyone thought I was but it wasn’t like that. Maybe at first but for as much as I loved him, I realized that I wanted to be him.” 

Bakugo didn’t know what he was supposed to say to this confession so he stayed silent. 

“He was just so-” Uraraka made a motion like a firework with her hands before she smiled at Bakugo. “He could just do anything. He had so much confidence and talent and he made the world a brighter place. He was the type of hero I hoped to be.”

“I’m sorry.” Bakugo didn’t know why he was apologizing but then again, maybe he did. He knew how she had looked at Deku in their first year, had seen how others had looked at the nerd but in the end Bakugo had refused to give Deku up to anyone. 

And he still wasn’t planning on giving Deku to anyone. 

Deku was his. 

…  
…  
…

This was so stupid. 

He shouldn’t do this, he was just going to get hurt again and again but when the younger man's hands lifted his face to pull the teacher into a kiss, Takeda figured he didn't mind getting hurt again as long as Keishin was the one doing it. The Karasuno coach huffed against Takeda's lips, clearly impatient at the teacher's distance but Takeda wasn't going to make this easier. If the other man wanted them to continue, he would need to work for it. 

Afterall, it was only the teacher's heart on the line. 

"Sensei..." Coach Ukai's voice was soft and Takeda didn't bother to fight anymore, there was no point. The teacher grabbed Ukai's jacket and pulled the coach into a kiss. The younger man laughed into it, clearly finding some amusement in the teacher's actions but then Takeda opened his mouth to deepen the kiss and Ukai suddenly had something else to focus on. 

“Does this mark our one year anniversary?” Ukai huffed against Takeda's lips and the teacher was confused for a moment. The coach seemed to realize as he had let out a small laugh. “Last year after we lost the Qualifier to Aobajohsai we hooked up at your place after sending the kids home. I’m going to consider that as our first date, I hope you don’t mind.”

Of course Takeda minded. 

Had it really been that long?

“Well this year we lost to Date Tech.” Takeda pulled back from the kiss to stare at the man he had been trying to stay strictly professional with. Takeda wished he had a strong enough will to push the younger man away, or strong enough conviction to keep them together for the rest of their lives. 

Sadly, he had neither. 

“Well, this year you also adopted a kid without talking to me first so let’s say we’re even.” Keishin kissed Takeda again before pulling back suddenly. “He’s not here is he?”

Takeda actually laughed at that. “No, the third years were crashing at Tanaka’s place so he went to stay with them.”

Keishin hummed in approval as he pulled his own shirt off. “Sensei, before we continue there is something I would like to ask you, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh?” Takeda felt his heart flutter and excitement and anxiety as he stared at the younger man. “Will I like the question?”

The coach smiled and Takeda already knew the answer was no but he gave the young man a nod to continue. Ukai pulled Takeda into a kiss, enjoying how they both pressed together for a moment before they pulled away and Keishin grabbed onto Takeda’s hands. “Will you stop breaking up with me? I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

And that-

That had not been what he had been expecting but Takeda was already shaking his head. Takeda couldn’t promise something like that, he wasn’t even sure if the younger man meant those words. One day Ukai would want to leave him and it was Takeda’s job to be the one to allow it to happen. Ukai smiled at him, clearly disappointed in the answer but the younger man clearly had no intention of stopping what they were doing. 

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, sensei.” Ukai bit at Takeda’s ear, making the older man hiss before they kissed again. 

Takeda knew that he should make them stop and talk about this. 

Talk about them. 

But instead he let Ukai take the lead as they stumbled to the bedroom. It didn’t take long before their clothes were discarded, Takeda desperately trying to muffle his moans by biting his hand as the younger man thrust deep inside him. 

“Sensei . . .” Ukai was kissing his knee as the older man felt tears well up in his eyes. 

He missed this. 

Missed Keishin. 

Takeda gasped as he was pulled tighter against the coach, he felt like he was being stretched open for all the world to see and it made all his emotions bubble out of him. He tried to wipe the tears from his eyes but then Uaki started to move with more fervor and the teacher was back to biting his hand.

“You’re going to hurt yourself, sensei.” Ukai’s hand was pulling his back and Takeda found himself clenching his teen as he bit back a moan. The coach swore and suddenly they were kissing. It was wet, deep, and filthy. It made Takeda’s toes curl while Ukai thrust deeper into him. 

“Keishin.” Takeda gasped again, nearing the end of his rope. “I’m sorry, sorry-”

“Shhhh.” The younger man kissed him again. “Let go, sensei. I got you. I’m not going anywhere.”

And Takeda wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe him with all his heart but the teacher just held on tighter instead as he came with a groan. They weren’t finished yet, Takeda could tell that much as Ukai continued his soft thrusts into the older man, but the teacher hoped that Ukai would let him catch his breath first. 

…  
…  
...

Bakugo could hear Deku panting next to him as he took deep breaths himself. The air was hot and sticky and the cement ground dug into his back but he didn’t mind as he turned his head to see his childhood friend smiling at him. 

"You beat me again, Kacchan." Deku's nose was bleeding, and his skin was scraped up on the side of his face. Bakugo didn't remember how Deku’s shirt had gotten ripped but the blond teen could see the bruises already forming as sweat dripped down Deku's skin. 

"You shouldn't be happy about that, fucking nerd." Bakugo forced his eyes to look away before he let himself give in and turned back to the green haired teen. Deku wasn't looking at him anymore but had shut his eyes, clearly taking a moment to rest before inevitably All Might or Aizawa came to yell at them for sparring so late at night. 

Bakugo pushed himself up off the ground, ignoring how his muscles protested as he rolled to his feet but stayed crouching down so that he was leaning over Deku. The other teen sensed the closeness and opened his eyes before blinking. "Kacchan?"

Bakugo’s hand felt against Deku’s abs for a moment, pressing against the bruises that were already there before the blond realized what he was doing and he glanced up at the nerd. Deku was staring at him in confusion but it was clear that Deku wasn’t going to stop him. 

Wasn’t going to stop whatever this was. 

There was a loud bang and suddenly Bakugo was rolling out of his bed and landing on his feet on the floor. He took a deep breath as he glanced around his dorm room before shutting his eyes. 

Fuck. 

It was just a dream. A memory of one of their last nightly spars. Bakugo wasn’t even sure if it had actually happened that way but it had felt so familiar. 

So real. 

The bang happened again and Bakugo didn't bother to put on a shirt as he swung his door open to see Kirishima smiling at him. "What the fuck do you-"

Kirishima blinked before suddenly he was pushing Bakugo back in the room. The blond backed into his room as Krishima slammed the door behind them and grabbed Bakugo's shoulders with a frown. "Bakugo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Bakugo growled even though it was a lie. Everything was wrong. Nothing would ever be right again. "What do you want, you fucking-"

"You're crying."

Bakugo choked on his words and turned out of Kirishima's grip as his hands went to his face. Crying? His face felt wet and when Bakugo pulled his hands away, sure enough, it wasn't his sweat but tears rolling down his cheeks. 

He had been crying. 

He was crying.

Suddenly there were arms around him and Bakugo didn't bother to fight Kirishima's hold as he was forced to turn around and pulled into a tight hug. His friend's hands pushed Bakugo's face into Kirishima's shoulder and the other one held onto Bakugo's back. Kirishima pressed his own face into Bakugo's neck, as if this hug was more for him than the blond and Bakugo had never been more grateful for that action as he realized more tears were coming. 

He couldn't stop crying. 

"Today's his birthday." Kirishima spoke as if trying to help calm the emotions rolling through Bakugo at the moment. Trying to give Bakugo a reason for his behavior that wasn't just uncontrollable chaos since Deku disappeared. "That's why I came to check on you. Aizawa-sensei gave the class the day off but I figured we could spar if you wanted.”

Bakugo didn't listen to whatever Kirishima said after that as he pulled the teen tighter against him. His friend kept talking but Bakugo found himself not caring and just taking the comfort that was offered. 

Deku was still missing. 

Three months and Deku was still gone.

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **CONTENT WARNINGS**  
>  -heavy emotions  
> -underaged sex: Kuroo is 18 and Kenma is 17 at this point in the story  
> -not safe sex  
> -adult sex between Ukai and Takeda
> 
> Author’s Note: I’ll be honest, this story can get away from me sometimes because there is SO MUCH that I want to put in and have happen, and SO MANY characters that I want to give a spotlight to, it can be hard to figure out if the plot is moving or not. IT IS! Things will be resolved, but I do worry that this might end up being my longest story yet. 
> 
> Thank you and please feel free to review!


	4. Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Isn’t that your friend?” Fuyumi paused as they turned to the corner. “The uh, fast one?”
> 
> Sure enough, Iida was pacing back and forth on the street. He was wearing nice clothes and Shoto wondered if the teen had been at an important interview or something. Iida turned to continue pacing before staring at the sky as if to shout and then crouching down as if he was suddenly really sad. 
> 
> “Is he okay?” Fuyumi whispered, getting a little closer to her brother.
> 
> “I’m sure he’s fine.’ Shoto honestly didn’t know if Iida was fine or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings at the bottom! 
> 
> Author note: I feel like the more I write this story the more fun I'm having fun with these characters. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

“So when you want to receive a ball, you need to put your arms together like this.” Ennoshita watched as Nishinoya was leaning forward as he mimicked the stance he was talking about. He watched as Midoriya did the same and smiled at how easily the other teen seemed to understand. 

Izuku might not understand volleyball but it was clear he had been watching them all closely these past few weeks. Close enough that the team wanted him to practice with them while they were doing warm ups. 

“Izuku! You should try to spike!” Hinata jumped over Nishinoya’s shoulders with a smile before both short teens tumbled over and started to have a contest of who could roll the farthest. Izuku looked tired at just the sight of both of them and Ennoshita could sympathize. 

“Spiking practice doesn’t sound bad. Do you want to give it a try?” Ennoshita waved for the rest of the team to get together before he motioned for Kageyama to go to one side of the net and their first year setter, a very soft spoken blonde named Oshiro Ren, in the middle so they could have two lines for spiking. “Kageyama and Oshiro, let us know when you are ready.”

Kageyama, like Ennoshita predicted, had the ball up in the air with a nod and Tanaka was already spiking it to the ground. Oshiro winced when a ball was thrown his way but the first year still managed to get it up in time for Hinata to spike it with a smile. Ennoshita decided to spare Oshiro any surprises and motioned for Izuku to go in Kageyama’s line. 

“Should I really be bothering with your practice like this?” Izuku seemed unsure of himself, even after all of this time, but Ennoshita just smiled. They had started talking more since the captain had confessed his one-sided feelings to the green haired teen and while there had been an awkward moment where Ennoshita had to explain to Yachi that he wasn’t interested in Izuku like that, it seemed three of them were now a weird group of friends. Ennoshita could talk to Yachi and Izuku about his frustrations without worrying about disrupting the team dynamic, Yachi could talk about the most recent girl that made her heart speed up without getting teased, and Izuku would talk about his friends back home. 

Izuku always sounded sad when he talked about his friends, so Yachi and Ennoshita never pushed, but it was nice to know the teen was opening up to them a little bit. 

They had finally heard about a friend named Kacchan last week and Ennoshita was willing to bet that Kacchan was someone special with the way that Izuku’s voice got soft when he talked about how great his friend back home was. 

“Midoriya.” Kageyama called for the green haired teen and everyone paused as Izuku threw the ball up and started running. It was clear that Izuku was mimicking some action he had seen earlier as he jumped into the air, hand raised for a spike . . . only to fall face first into the net as the ball fell to the ground behind him. 

“Hahaha!” Coach Ukai’s laughter echoed across the gym and even as Izuku made it to his feet it was clear the teen’s face was beet red. 

“Sorry!” Izuku bowed to Kageyama who was already waving him off. 

“You pushed too hard on your jump, still, not as bad as Hinata.” Kageyama grumbled and sure enough the short decoy was at Kageyama’s side to try and hit the tall setter. 

“Who are you calling bad, Crabbyama?!” Both teens started to dodge each other’s punches and Ennoshita used their squabble to make sure Izuku was okay. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Izuku laughed as they walked over to Yachi. 

“You can help me pick up the balls.” Yachi smiled brightly and Izuku smiled back. Ennoshita made sure they were all set before he made his way back over to the team.

“Your hair is getting long, maybe you should tie it back.” Ennoshita paused as he watched Yachi get into Izuku’s space. The teen went a little pink but otherwise just suffered her attention as she took her own hair tie and pulled Izuku’s hair back into a small ponytail with a bunch of curls sticking out. She laughed as Izuku smiled. “Or maybe you should cut it!”

“I’m glad they get along.” Tanaka was at Ennoshita’s side again, leaning against the captain as they watched Izuku now try to wave Yachi off as she wanted to mess with his curls some more. “But hey, if he grows his hair out maybe he’ll look cool and manly like Asahi!”

“No one looks as manly as Asahi!” Nishinoya declared before rolling underneath a spike to try his next evolution of ‘Rolling Thunder’. 

Practice pretty much went back to normal after that, much to Ennoshita’s relief. 

…  
…  
…

“Are you going to tell me what happened between you and dad?” Shoto turned to see Fuyumi leaning against the door to the kitchen. He had been writing an essay for Present Mic’s class but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to finish it now. They stared at each other for a moment before she sighed and made her way into the room. “Natsuo took mom to an art show where his girlfriend has a piece on display.”

“Ah, so you thought now would be the best time to ask me that.” Shoto had to admit, it wasn’t a bad plan. He tended to be more quiet around his mom. They were still working on their relationship but even after all this time they would both fall silent sometimes. 

Fuyumi sighed. “I thought things were getting better-”

“We’re fine.” Shoto interrupted his sister. He wasn’t lying to his sister, his relationship with their dad was fine. They had never been close. “If I seem off maybe it’s because I’m tired. You know we’ve been putting in overtime to try and find Midoriya-”

“I’m sad your friend is still missing but that isn’t what this is.” Fuyumi took a seat at the table so they were facing each other. “It’s almost been a year with you like this. It’s not just your relationship with dad but with everyone. You seem tired all the time and you won’t talk to Natsuo or me . . .”

Todoroki put his pen down as it felt like everything she was saying was being muffled. He could hear her, he could understand everything she said but for some reason she suddenly felt farther away. Todoroki felt warm before he shivered. 

“Shoto.” Fuyumi tapped the table and it made him look at her. “What happened last year? What happened when you went mis-”

He loved his sister. 

Todoroki loved his family and he couldn’t do this. Not right now. 

Maybe never. 

“I have to go.” He knew he was moving too quick as his sister stared at him. She made a motion as if she was going to grab his arm and the teen took a few steps back so that he was out of her reach as he took a deep breath. 

He didn’t want to hurt her and he couldn’t trust his control like this. 

He wouldn’t hurt her. He would never hurt his family. 

He wasn’t-

“I just want to help.” Fuyumi kept her voice soft before she shook her head. “I was going to go to the store, will you walk with me before you head back?”

Todoroki nodded, taking another breath as he realized she was dropping it. He wasn’t ready to talk about it, he didn’t think he would ever be ready to talk about it. 

They were silent as Fuyumi got her shopping bag and Shoto packed up his schoolwork. He had been planning on staying a little longer but he figured it would be better for him to get to the dorms. Denki and Jiro were trying to keep morale high with class A but it was getting harder to pretend that Mirdoriya was going to pop up one day and everything would be normal. 

Too much time had passed. 

Even if they were able to find their friend, would he be the same?

Shoto had only been missing for two days and he felt like he was never going to be the same again. Like something had gotten burned out of him and he would never get it back. 

“So, are you dating anyone?” Fuyumi laughed as Shoto tripped against the gate as they made their way out into the street. He couldn’t help but glare at his older sister then. “It’s a fair question! Natsuo started dating when he was 16 and never stopped! I figured you would be the same.”

“Natsuo is friendlier.” Shoto huffed, already knowing what his sister would say in response. 

“But you’re better looking!” She hit him on the shoulder. “Enjoy some romance while you’re young and it’s okay to make a fool of yourself. You should follow Natsuo’s example and live life to the fullest.”

Shoto changed the topic to her work and how her students were doing. Apparently she had a few troublemakers this year but she was clearly happy to have each and every student in her class. 

She had to be an amazing teacher. 

“Isn’t that your friend?” Fuyumi paused as they turned to the corner. “The uh, fast one?”

Sure enough, Iida was pacing back and forth on the street. He was wearing nice clothes and Shoto wondered if the teen had been at an important interview or something. Iida turned to continue pacing before staring at the sky as if to shout and then crouching down as if he was suddenly really sad. 

“Is he okay?” Fuyumi whispered, getting a little closer to her brother.

“I’m sure he’s fine.’ Shoto honestly didn’t know if Iida was fine or not. They had always spent a lot of time together, it was just always easy to spend time in the other teen’s company. Maybe it was because they both came from Hero families, or maybe it was something else entirely. 

As he and his sister got a little closer Shoto decided to call out. “Iida, what are you doing out here?”

The teen jumped up to his feet and stood there stiffly for a moment before he rigidly turned to the two Todoroki siblings. “Hello!”

Shoto waited for the teen to continue but Iida seemed to have frozen. He turned to his sister who turned to look at him in return before she started laughing. Iida’s face went so red it was almost glowing so Shoto had mercy on his friend as he gave his sister a nod. “I’m going to head back to UA from here, I’ll text you once I have my work study schedule.”

“Oh! Are you working with dad again?” Fuyumi perked up but Shoto was already shaking his head. 

“I decided to try something new this year.” Shoto waved to his sister as she waved goodbye and continued her walk to the store. The teen turned his attentioned to Iida who was still standing stiffly in the street. “Are you-”

“Can I walk back to UA with you?” Iida cut Shoto off before seeming to realize what he did. Shoto couldn’t help but let out a little huff as Iida struggled with what to say next. 

Shoto knew that Iida liked him, it had taken him longer than he wanted to admit to realize that the way the other teen’s eyes followed him hadn’t been a gaze of friendship but something more. Honestly, Shoto wasn’t even sure when Iida’s view of him changed but it had been sometime after the engine hero had broken up with Uraraka. Todoroki briefly wondered if Midoriya had known about Iida’s feelings, if the teen had been here, what would he tell Todoroki to do? 

Then the teen wondered if his sister liked somebody. Did she bring up that conversation because she had wanted him to ask? 

Shoto would have to ask her next time. 

“Why are you dressed up?” They had been walking for a little while in silence, not that Todoroki minded but he was curious about why Iida was wearing a suit. 

“I met with my work study hero today and wanted to make a good impression.” Iida rubbed the back of his head and Shoto couldn’t help but admire how thick the teen’s arms looked in the suit jacket. Tailored clothing really made a difference. 

“Who did you go with? I know you had a lot of invitations this year.” Shoto was genuinely curious. Majority of the class seemed to be taking their work studies more seriously this year because it was their final year in school and had been keeping their decisions pretty close to the chest. “I thought you might work at your brother’s agency since you plan to take over when you graduate, right?”

“Tensei is still keeping it running for now, and I’ve been spending my free time meeting the sidekicks who decided to stay on, but I thought it would be more beneficial for me to learn from a hero with their own agency this year.” Iida paused a bit before he glanced at Todoroki. “That’s why I agreed to work at the Endeavor agency this year.”

Todoroki tripped. 

It was embarrassing, and the teen tried to fight back the blush on his face as he felt Iida’s arms catch him around the waist. He turned to apologize but his nose brushed against Iida’s cheeks because they were so close and Todoroki’s face heated for another reason but this time he wasn’t the only one. Both blushing teens separated once Todoroki was steady on his feet again. 

“I didn’t know if I should tell you because I know things have been strained between the both of you again but-” Iida’s hand stayed a little longer on Todoroki’s arm before he finally let it slide away. “I really do want to learn from the number one hero.”

“It makes sense.” Todoroki started walking again. “I didn’t realize he was making people come in for formal interviews this year.”

“Oh, that was my suggestion.” Iida laughed and Todoroki found himself relaxing. “I wanted to show him how serious I was!”

Todoroki figured his dad either found Iida to be annoying or really respected the teen for going this far, only time would tell. 

…  
…  
…

A rough thumb pressed against the side of his cheek, thick fingers grazing past his ear and tangling into his hair. “You better not be dead, Deku.”

Deku wanted to laugh, his whole body felt heavy and his muscles were screaming at him to stop moving. If he had been dead then the fact that he could still feel so much was a poor bargain. Deku just hummed and turned his face into the hand that was holding his head up, most likely checking for blood. “You win this time, Kacchan.”

“I win every fucking time.” Bakugo’s voice was rough with pride and annoyance at the same time. Deku couldn’t help but smirk as he finally opened his eyes a bit. “Maybe if you would stop being so lazy you would win a round.”

Deku did smile at that, letting his head fall back into Bakugo’s fingers as he stared at the blond above him. It was clear the blond hadn’t found any wounds to worry about so now Bakugo was just carding his fingers through Deku’s curls and the teen wanted to enjoy the moment a little longer. 

He loved fighting Kacchan.

It was always a challenge, it made Deku think in ways he wasn’t used to and it didn’t matter how prepared Deku was before their sparring match the wild blond always managed to pin him down. It wasn’t that Deku wasn’t trying, it was just that Bakugo was that good. 

Kacchan was going to be the best hero. 

“Only you would look so pleased to get their ass handed to them every week.” Bakugo rolled his eyes and Deku wanted to reach up and brush Bakugo’s cheek. Wanted to feel the blond's hair but he paused as Bakugo glanced down at him again. 

“Kacchan?” There was a warmth in Deku’s stomach, something that had been building more and more as he was around his childhood friend. Deku didn’t know how to explain it but he wondered if Bakugo felt it too. 

Were they the same?

Did Kacchan feel the same?

“Oi! Izuku-san, if you keep spacing out like that you’re going to get run over.” Hinata ran past Deku while sticking out his tongue. Deku blinked rapidly, unsure if what he had been thinking of had been a memory or a daydream. There was a beat before Hinata noticed something in the distance and turned back around to pick up his pace. “See you later!”

Deku watched the tiny decoy run off before suddenly there was an angry setter running next to him. “Midoriya-san.” 

Then Kageyama was off and Deku found himself smiling at the two rivals. He wondered if they were training with the rest of the team or if they were on their own. Not that it mattered, Deku was beginning to think that they were just always together. 

The green haired teen found himself pausing in his own jogging as he stroked the side of his face, remembering blood red eyes and rough skin. 

Even if Deku was gone, Bakugo would find someone else to train with. 

For some reason that thought made Deku’s stomach twist and the teen found himself shaking his head. He needed to concentrate on running before he got lost . . . again. He took a turn at the next street and felt his phone buzz in his pocket. The teen stepped to the side to make sure he wasn’t in the road as he flipped the phone open to see a text from Takeda-sensei. 

_Would you be interested in going to Tokyo?_

“Tokyo?!” Deku stared at the text on his phone before he put it back in his pocket and sped up his jog back to Takeda’s apartment. It was unusual for the sensei to text him instead of just waiting for Deku to get back home but the teen couldn’t help but feel a little excited from the news. 

He was going to Tokyo?

Running up the stairs, Deku was a little winded by the time he got the front door open and took off his shoes. “Tell me more about Tokyo!”

“You could have finished your jog, you didn’t need to run here.” Takeda was wearing a pink apron that had a volleyball with lips saying ‘Time to get served’ and while Deku wasn’t sure who got that for sensei, he imagined the teacher had to like them a lot to wear it. The teacher laughed as Deku tripped over his own shoes and then the teen smiled. 

“What is this about going to Tokyo? Do you do this every year?” Deku was already thinking of what he could do. He would need to look at the map he had bought and see if he could map out where things from his world should be and see what he found instead. He didn’t expect to find anything at this point but he didn’t want to give up, not yet. 

Maybe there would be a clue. 

“We do a two day, one night training camp with a group of schools. Last year was the first year but they were nice enough to invite us back this year.” Takeda sounded amused as if there was a fun memory from last year. “I told the coach from the host school that I had a family member staying with me and he said it was okay for you to come, but only if you want to.”

“I’ll definitely come!” Deku paused a bit. “Is the school in the city?”

“The suburbs actually but still close.” The teacher paused as he started putting food on the table. “Have you been wanting to go to the city? I could have taken you-”

“No! I was just thinking if we were close then maybe I could go-” Deku waved off the older man. Seriously, Takeda-sensei had already done so much for him, he couldn’t ask the man for more. “When is the trip?”

“In two weeks. The students still have to take some tests but I’m confident this year no one will have to do a make up test.” Sensei got a scary look on his face for a moment before he took off his apron and sat at the table. Deku ran to wash his hands before joining the older man at the table and sensei pointed chopsticks at him. “I talked to Yachi and she said there is plenty for team managers to do for those two days, would you be interested in helping out?”

Deku nodded as he took a big bite of food. He had made it to some other towns by jogging but this would be the farthest he has traveled since he got her. The teen couldn’t help but get a little excited. 

He would need to bring his notebooks so he could keep track of what he saw. Hinata had been thrilled to show Deku what it truly meant to be a ball boy and Deku had to admit that trying to keep up with the team was helping him stay in shape. Occasionally he would even find another teen from Karasuno when he was jogging and they would run together for a bit until they had to split ways. 

“Have you thought about what I brought up last time?” Takeda gave Deku a look and it made the teen glance down at the table.

“I appreciate that you would be willing to help me find a way to enroll in the school and I know how important education is but I . . .” Deku wasn’t ready to give up on going home. Asahi had put him in contact with the friend on the police force and Deku emailed the contact weekly to try and stay in touch on the search for Eri. The teen had also started going to the local library where he could go through older newspaper archives to see if he could find anything that might hint at other strange happenings in this town. 

“Midoriya, you don’t have to make a decision now. If you don’t want to go back to school there are other ways to continue your education.” The teacher didn’t sound disappointed but Deku knew that the longer he was here the more Takeda would want him to have a normal life like the other students the teacher oversaw. 

“If I really can’t find a way home, I’ll consider it.” Deku tried to smile but just the thought of not finding a way home made his chest ache. 

Not yet. 

He wasn’t ready to give up yet. 

…  
…  
...

“This isn’t what I had-ngh in mind when-” Aizawa’s voice choked off as Mirio pressed another finger into him. “-when I said you should do some cool down stretches.”

“You’re right, this isn’t cooling me down at all.” Mirio pressed his face into the older man’s back and sent a silent prayer of gratefulness out into the world that he was allowed to be with this man. The twenty year old could hear Aizawa’s breath quicken as his fingers went deeper and it made the blond want to move faster but he would be patient. “Shota, let’s skip school today.”

“F-fuck.” Aizawa pressed himself further against Mirio’s fingers and turned to glare at the younger man. “You have thirty minutes before I kick you out and take care of myself.”

Mirio knew that wasn’t an empty threat based off of experience and found himself taking off his workout clothes quickly. Thankfully it seemed like Aizawa was on board for the before school quickie since even the frowning man was stripping from what was left of his pajamas. 

Mirio still wasn’t sure how he had managed it. 

How he had gotten this man. 

Two years ago seemed like ages. Mirio had been broken in so many meanings of the word, he had lost his mentor, had lost his quirk, and had been forced to take a leave of absence from school . . . but it had all been worth it for Eri. Mirio and Deku had saved Eri and that had been enough for the blond. Aizawa had become the girl’s guardian and Mirio had decided to help watch her while the older man was taking care of his class. 

It had been awkward at first, finding himself at the teachers’ dorms instead of his own with his fellow classmates but it hadn’t been bad because Eri had been a ray of sunshine. Mirio’s homeroom teacher Snipe checked in with him a few times but it didn’t take long for Mirio to get used to his new way of life. 

It had been the small things. 

Eri wanting Mirio to stay over to read her a bedtime story because “Eraserhead doesn’t do voices!” had been the first incident, as far as Mirio could remember. He had seen how the older man seemed to pout that his young charge wasn’t as entertained by him as she was by Mirio but the blond just laughed and read her a story. 

There had been a weird moment at the door when Mirio had been leaving, where the older man had pulled his hair up in a messy bun and had smiled at the teen as he had wished him good night and Mirio’s heart had skipped a beat. Mirio couldn’t be blamed, he had told himself then, Aizawa-sensei was a good looking man. 

No harm in being attracted. 

Then Eri had wanted Mirio to stay the night, which Aizawa didn’t seem to mind. Mirio had wondered if the older man was conscious of how Mirio would look at him but the blond had resigned himself to not even being on the teacher’s radar when the man had lent Mirio some pajamas and tucked both Mirio and Eri into bed like children. 

Then there had been the sleep over incident where Eri wanted to build a tent. Somehow Mirio had woken up with Aizawa in his arms and the blond hadn’t known what to do so he had just laid still and pretended to sleep until the old man had woken up. Aizawa had tensed at first, before relaxing into Mirio’s arms while swearing softly to himself. 

Mirio hadn’t known how to take that reaction but he waited a good half hour after Aizawa had crawled away before he had made any sort of movement. Just to be safe. 

Then there was the shower incident where Eri and Nejire had thrown glitter on top of Mirio. The blond had decided to borrow Aizawa’s shower while the girls cleaned up only to have the older man walk in on him in all his glory. The blond had felt his face go red as the older man’s eyes had traveled down before going up again, the erasure hero muttering a loud ‘fuck’ before throwing a towel at Mirio and storming off. 

They never talked about it but Mirio was beginning to think the attraction was mutual. 

There had been some teasing from Present Mic towards Aizawa about liking sunny personalities but Mirio didn’t want to get his hopes up.

Then Midnight happened. 

“I’m taking Eri to my place so she can play with the cat.” The older woman was dressed in a t-shirt that said ‘I’ll make you scream!’ and Mirio wasn’t sure if it was meant to be a threat or not so the teen just stood awkwardly by and Aizawa made sure Eri had everything. 

“Don’t let Hizashi keep her up too late, Nemuri.” Aizawa sighed before kneeling down in front of Eri. “Do you remember what I told you?”

Eri puffed out her cheeks proudly as she held up her All Might themed phone (a present from Deku) as she said with all seriousness, “Take pictures and if they do anything weird, call you immediately!”

“Good girl.” Aizawa had ruffled her hair as the girl blushed, even as Midnight rolled her eyes at the scene before taking the little girl's hand. 

Mirio had been ready to leave as soon as the door closed but instead he found himself being pulled forward into a kiss as Aizawa sighed, “Don’t make me regret this.” 

And Mirio hoped that the older man hadn’t regretted them finally getting together. It had led to some awkward conversations with the principal but it seemed overall that Nezu didn’t mind since Mirio was on leave and Aizawa wasn’t actually his teacher. Then there had been the Jaku General Hospital incident and Eraserhead had lost a leg but Mirio and Eri hadn’t cared about the leg, as long as the man came back home to them. Eri had fallen asleep holding both their hands for weeks after that, refusing to let them out of their sight until Eraserhead had gotten fitted for a prosthetic and was walking around again. 

They made a weird family unit but they were still a family. Mirio was serious enough that he had brought his dad over to campus one day to meet Eri and Aizawa, and while it had been a little awkward, his dad had been happy for him. 

Mirio celebrated their one year anniversary by taking the three of them and Deku to an amusement park before Deku took Eri over to the 2-A dorms for the night. Mirio had never fully grasped how flexible Aizawa was until that night and then they both showed up at the dorms with visible bite marks from playing around too much, all Deku and Eri did was roll their eyes before they had breakfast with the rest of class 2-A. 

And if Eri seemed a little smitten with an explosive red-eyed hero, Mirio figured he would blame that on Deku’s influence. 

But now Deku and Eri were gone. 

Still missing. 

“Stop.” Mirio paused immediately at Aizawa’s voice. The blond had been kissing down the older man’s body but then rough hands were lifting his face up. Aizawa stared at him for a moment and Mirio wondered what face he was making to be under the older man’s scrutiny like this. “Come here.”

Mirio let himself be pulled up easily, laying against the teachers side as Aizawa stroked the side of his face before moving Mirio’s limbs around so that the blond was basically hugging the older man like a body pillow. 

Mirio was confused. “What about-”

“You're distracted and my hips are still sore from last night. Let’s just lay here like this.” Aizawa sighed on top of the pillows, his hand trying to smooth out the furrow on Mirio’s face. “We still have to get to class but let’s just lay here for a bit longer.”

Mirio wanted to argue that he could take care of them both, but found his eyes closing as he leaned into Aizawa’s warmth. 

The blond would smile later, when they met with the class but for now it was okay to just let himself be here in the moment. It was okay. 

“I love you.” Mirio smiled as he grabbed the older man’s hand and brought it to his lips.

The older man stared at Mirio for a sec as if he was trying to understand the blond’s mind before bent over to give the younger man a kiss. “I love you, too.”

…  
…  
...

“One week until we head to Tokyo, are you ready?” 

Deku paused from the journal he was writing in. He had been trying to replicate his original hero journals while updating them with little stories and interactions he’d experience with the hero it focused on. He didn’t want to forget anything and this was the best way to keep it fresh in his mind. The teen glanced up at the older man who was smoking at his end of the table. Ukai didn’t bother to look up from the latest issues of Shonen Jump and Deku allowed himself to be a little annoyed at the older man. 

“It won’t take me long to pack, and Yachi and Saeko-neesan promised to show me the ropes when we got there.” Deku paused a bit before he went back to his notebook. 

“So what story are you going to tell the other kids we meet? Sticking to sensei’s cousin who's a school drop out?” The older man glanced up from the magazine as he flipped a page before glancing back down again. 

Deku was pretty sure that coach Ukai didn’t like him. 

It was little things like this, moments where the coach would call out the fact that Deku was lying to everyone. Well not everyone, the coach knew that Takeda and Tanaka knew the truth, but no one was willing to let the volleyball coach in on the story yet and it seemed like the smoker was getting a little bitter about it. 

“Keishin! I told you not to smoke inside if you were going to stay here. At least use the balcony.” Takeda sensei glared at the coach as he walked in carrying a bag of groceries. The teacher had wanted to run some errands on his own that morning and Deku couldn’t blame him. Alone time in the apartment was getting harder to come by with the coach crashing here more often than not. 

“Sorry, sensei.” Coach Ukai didn’t sound sorry at all as he closed the magazine he had been reading and put his cigarette out in the portable ashtray that he carried with him. 

“If you’re worried about me being a distraction at the camp, I can always just make a day trip to the city while everyone practices.” Deku tried to keep the conversation going from earlier. 

“Distraction? What are you both talking about?” Takeda glared over at Ukai and the coach gave Deku a glance before the bleached haired man just shrugged. 

“I was just making sure Midoriya had everything he needed for camp.” Ukai smiled over at Deku. “Need to be careful that Coach Nekomata doesn’t try to take him out for drinks.”

“I already talked to Coach Nekomata about drinking after practice and don’t worry, I promised that I would be able to keep up with him after you and Naoi-san fall asleep.” Takeda was clearly making fun of Ukai for something as the coach blushed and Deku found himself laughing before he started writing in the notebook again. 

He had already talked about doing a day trip to Tokyo on the first day of camp, if everything was able to work out, but Deku was realizing that he would need to figure out how to get a job soon. He had been living off Takeda’s kindness for long enough and if he was going to start moving around on his own, he would need money from this world to make it happen. 

But first, he would finish writing up what he remembered about retired hero Hawks. 

…  
…  
…

“You know, people are starting to talk.” 

Endeavor already had a headache and it was only getting worse. He turned his attention to the white haired woman who was sitting at his desk. Mirko looked bored as she continued to write on whatever piece of paper that had caught her attention before she smiled up at him. 

“Talk about what?” Endeavor shut the door to his office, knowing that Burnin would have a field day if Mirko was in his office. They had apparently gone to the same school and Burnin had been a year below ‘Rumi-senpai’. 

It was annoying. 

“I guess my little visits haven’t gone unnoticed.” Mirko put the pen down as she smiled up at Endeavor as he walked over to her. “Just got word that apparently we’re having a sordid affair.”

“What.” Endeavor’s shoulder lit up and he had to take a breath to calm down. He didn’t like the sound of that. 

“Wow, I’m hurt. I thought you would be happy that people think you could nab a woman twenty years your junior.” Mirko pushed out of his chair and walked around his desk so she could lean on it, making sure they were face to face. “Unlike you, I’ve never been married and I’ve never had my relationships dragged through the mud because of a divorce. I’m a catch, Endeavor.”

The headache was worse. 

Endeavor extinguished his flames as he pinched his nose. Nothing she said was wrong, if this was going to show up in the papers tomorrow it would look far worse for her than it would for him. He had already been down the muddy road of having his romantic life, or lack of one, cracked open for the world to see when he divorced his wife. He had done what he could to keep his ex-wife’s condition and his children’s lives out of the papers and that meant he had been even more exposed. It was the least he could do for them after all these years. 

And now this. 

“At least we now have a cover that makes sense.” Endeavor sighed before he gave Mirko a nod. “Unless you plan to deny it.”

“Ha! You’re a real bastard, you know that.” Mirko tipped her head back in consideration. “There might be someone who’ll get upset about this but I can deal with him later. As much fun as it would be to publicly deny you could never get this tail on national television, you’re right, it gives us better cover. The HPSC has been keeping an eye on me and this might make them lower their guard.”

“You don’t need to confirm the relationship, just don’t deny it. I don’t expect you to lie.” Endeavor certainly wasn’t going to lie to his kids and that meant he needed to let them know about this just in case a reporter tried to surprise them on the street. “I’m going to be taking a tour of the HPSC headquarters tomorrow with Best Jeanist and All Might. Apparently there has been a change in management and they want to make sure we meet the new team who are running the place.”

“Should I be hurt that they invited a retired hero before they invited number three?” Mirko flipped her hair back before she nodded. “Fuck your boy’s club anyway. Once you have the new leader's name, pass it over. I’ll look into them.”

“I looked into the suspicious crimes you brought me but they’ve stopped and the trail is now cold.” Endeavor walked over to his desk to pull out a folder so that he could show her what he did find.

A single red feather sat in the folder, almost foot in length and despite being in his desk for so long the sheen hadn’t dimmed at all. 

“Is that-” Mirko actually seemed surprised. 

“It’s not his. There was no DNA attached, but it’s clearly a strong imitation.” Endeavor closed the folder and handed it to her. “I couldn’t find anything but I’m hoping maybe you can.”

“Perfect. I have homework for you, too.” Mirko pulled out a USB from her glove and tossed it to Endeavor as she took the folder. “Children with strong quirks who have either gone missing or have died in the past thirty years. It took some time but thankfully my intern is pretty passionate.”

Now that was a surprise, Mirko was known for working alone. She didn’t like teams and she didn’t like sidekicks -- she would only make exceptions for something big. 

“Who-”

“Goes by Red Riot. A little shit from UA, he’s in your son’s class. He’s strong but he wants to learn how to move fast, has been harassing me for months and I finally decided to give in when Fat Gum said I could treat it like a favor.” She smirked. 

Another thing Mirko was known for, she liked to collect favors. Endeavor wouldn’t be surprised if the whole hero community owed her something. 

“I took two this year, they start next week.” Endeavor was still pissed that both Bakugo and Shoto had passed on working for him for their last work study as third years but he had been pleasantly surprised by the two who had shown up. 

Eraserhead’s class was truly something else. 

Endeavor and Mirko talked a bit more, passing by any information or gossip they had heard recently about their fellow heroes. He had to admit, he was starting to consider her a friend and the older hero didn’t know how he should feel about that. 

He wasn’t used to having friends. 

“So when are you going to tell me about why you’re so adamant about looking into the HPSC? I know enough to know this is worth it but what dragged you into this mess?” Mirko didn’t bother to glance up from her phone as she asked and Endeavor frowned as he finally took a seat at his desk. 

He didn’t want to lie to her but-

“Can you live with it being personal?” Endeavor didn’t want to push her away, but he couldn’t talk about this until he knew for sure. He wanted proof. 

Mirko clicked her tongue before she gave him a nod. The woman didn’t say anything as she fit the folder into her bag and opened the doors to his office before yelling. “Burnin! Give me some love before I hop outta here!” 

“MIRKO!!”

Endeavor felt his headache come back. 

…  
…  
…

Tap. Tap. Tap. 

“Izuku, are you sure you’re okay?” Yachi asked again and Deku was starting to feel bad about it but Asahi was running late. “You know you don’t have to ride in the bus, if you need to get something then Saeko is coming later.”

“We want him to get to camp in one piece, Yachi!” Tanaka laughed. “My sister is a lot of things and one of them is a bad driver.”

“Oh! I’ll ride with Saeko-neesan!” Hinata jumped up by using Deku’s shoulders as he smiled at the group. Deku laughed as the shorter teen seemed to float above them for a moment before hitting the ground again. 

Deku didn’t think he would ever get tired of seeing Hinata in action. 

“We’re not leaving anyone behind.” Coach muttered as he yawned, walking by the group before heading out of the gym. 

“While we’re waiting for Noya to show up, can you show me the write up you did?” Yachi smiled brightly and Deku couldn’t help but smile back. 

When had he gotten so used to them? His friends in this world.

“Write up?” Hinata seemed curious and Deku left it for Yachi to explain as they walked over to their bags. 

“Yeah! Izuku saw my write up of Nekoma High from last year and he helped me with updating our team’s stats. He’s really good at it!” Yachi’s words made Deku blush but he still handed over the notebook he had made for the Karasuno team. She smiled brightly as she opened it before showing it to Hinata. “See! He even calls out patterns and weaknesses!”

“Woah!” Hinata was holding up the notebook like it was something precious as he held it up in the air. “Haha, I do have amazing reflexes! Thank you, Izuku!”

“Does it call out your class averages as well?” A deep voice startled all of them before the notebook was plucked out of Hinata’s hands. Tsukishima glanced at the notebook and raised an eyebrow, which Deku had learned meant that the teen was surprised, before the blond glanced down at Deku who was still near his bag. “You broke this down for everyone?”

“Of course!” Yachi defended Deku immediately and it made the green haired teen laugh. Deku wasn’t worried about Tsukishima, the blond seemed cold but Deku knew that the other teen really cared. 

“I could only break it down from what I’ve seen. Takeda-sensei had some videos of your games from last year but honestly, watching games on video didn’t really help.” Deku rubbed the back of his head. The technology of this world didn’t feel the same, watching things felt grainy to Deku in a way that made him wonder why the worlds were so different for being so close to being the same. 

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi came over to the group with a smile and the tall blonde turned to his friend. “Ennoshita wants the team to meet up outside to go over schedules.”

Tsukishima just nodded before handing the notebook back to Yachi and heading out. Yamaguchi gave Yachi and Deku a small bow as if to apologize for his friend before the teen dragged Hinata away with him. 

The team worked so naturally together. Deku found himself wondering if this is how class A felt to outsiders. 

“Oh! You have more notebooks? Is this for other teams?” Yachi smiled as she lifted one from his bag and Deku moved before he even realized it and was holding the book away from her. 

He wasn’t ready. 

He didn’t want to share his world yet.

Not yet. 

“Izuku, breathe!” Yachi was waving her hands in front of him and it made the teen take a deep breath. Deku hadn’t realized he had stopped breathing as he pulled the notebook to himself. He needed to apologize, this was such an overreaction. 

Yachi wasn’t going to do anything to it. She was so nice and always treated everyone’s things as if they were her own. 

“Sorry.” Deku tried, and Yachi was shaking her head. 

“No! I’m sorry!” Yachi startled Deku by doing dogeza repeatedly on the ground. “I shouldn’t have touched your stuff without asking!”

Deku knelt down to make her stop and gave her a small smile as the world seemed to start righting itself. “It’s fine, sorry, I didn’t mean to take it from you like that. It’s just-”

“You don’t need to explain!” Yachi grabbed Deku’s hand. “It was your notebook and I shouldn’t have grabbed it, no matter if it was personal or a shopping list!”

Shopping list? Deku couldn’t follow Yachi sometimes.

“It’s fine. I’ll show it to you sometime, maybe.” Deku smiled, not sure why the thought made him feel tense. There was a commotion outside and both teens got to their feet as Nishinoya ran into the gym and rolled on the floor. 

“ROLLING THUNDER - BOYFRIEND EDITION!” Nishinoya posed at the end and Deku could hear Hinata going ‘oooooh’ in the distance even as Asahi walked into the gym with a blush. 

“I’m not doing that with you. I told you that on the way here.” Asahi sighed as Noya laughed, before the shorter teen was bombarded by Hinata to learn the new move. Asahi just shook his head at the team before making his way over to Deku. 

“Asahi-san!” Yachi smiled brightly. “Did you get your ears pierced?”

“Oh.” Asahi motioned towards his earlobes that had plain black studs in them. The older teen seemed embarrassed and looked at the ground with a flush. It made the scene look odd as Yachi smiled brightly at Asahi. 

“You look really cool!” Yachi laughed before Ennoshita called her from the gym door. “Izuku, I’ll be back to help with the bags in a bit so don’t move any while I’m gone.”

“I won’t!” Deku waved her off before turning to Asahi. 

The older teen had texted him the day before to say that he had an update on the missing girl search. After all these months there was a lead and Deku had been desperate to see the older teen again and hadn’t been able to sleep the night before. 

“My officer friend said he found some girls who matched your friend’s description but a lot of these articles are old.” Asahi got to the point as he pulled out an envelope from his bag. “I know you’re worried about your friend, and I’m sorry if this doesn’t help. The officer said he really doubted these would be your friend but it was the best he could do.”

“Th-thank you.” Deku knew it had been a long shot but this was the first lead for Eri since he had gotten to this world and he wasn’t going to let it go. “And tell your friend thank you, I owe you both.”

“Just buy me a coffee when you get back from camp.” Asahi smiled and it made Deku smile at the older teen. “Noya said that you’ve been practicing with the team sometimes, if you’re interested in joining the neighborhood association then I could introduce you to the team.”

If Deku remembered correctly, coach Ukai was on the neighborhood team. 

That didn’t sound like fun at all. 

“Midoriya-san!” Oshiro Ren and Udai Takaya came running over, the two first years tended to travel as a pair. Ren seemed startled at the sight of Asahi and hid behind Takaya as the other first year kept talking. “We’re loading the bus now. Yachi said we could help you with the bags.”

“Oh!” Deku held the envelope in his hands, wishing that he could run off and look at the contents but this wasn’t the time. He had promised to help out and that meant he needed to. Deku put the envelope in his bag before zipping it up and bowing to Asahi. “Thank you! I’ll buy you that coffee.”

“Keep me updated!” Asahi smiled before he was pulled away by Noya who wanted to make sure Asahi greeted the rest of the team before they were off. 

It didn’t take long before the bus was loaded and the team were in their seats. Takeda was driving and it was clear that coach Ukai was keeping the older man entertained in conversation. The rest of the bus was chaos as conversations were happening all over the place. 

Deku held his personal bag tightly to his chest. It was only after an hour in and most of the teens had either fallen asleep or were distracted by their phones that Deku finally pulled the envelope out. He bit his lip, something that Kacchan told him stopped his muttering, and opened it as carefully as possible. 

There wasn’t a lot inside. 

A few articles with grainy drawings of missing girls. Deku could tell they were old by the illustrations but from what he could read it just seemed like normal runaway situations. The next was some more recent missing girls. Signs clearly posted by their families with photos of the girls with grey hair and red eyes, Deku felt his heart break as he realized that the girls were still missing if they were in the envelope. 

They weren’t Eri but he hoped they were okay. 

Deku sucked in his breath at the next article. It was a new print out of an old newspaper article that talked about a girl who washed up on the beach, her family missing. The photo was grainy but Deku could see her large eyes and the cute sundress as if she was standing next to him. 

Eri. 

Eri had made it to this world. 

Deku bit his lips harder to stay silent as he read the article. A young girl was found on the beach, she was looking for her family but there were no records of her in the system. A national alert had been put out to find her next of kin but that wasn’t the reason the article was there. 

The girl had been found next to a dead and mutilated body. 

The nomu. 

Eri must have been so scared. Deku’s eyes blurred as tears started to fall but he quickly wiped his face. There wasn’t much more about the incident in the article but he could see the newspaper was local to the Soma area. That wasn’t too far from Sendai, Deku felt his heart speeding up. He could probably look up more information about the incident on his own and find out where Eri was now, he glanced at the top of the page to get a date, wondering when Eri had been found only to have his heart stop. 

1980\. 

This article was from 1980. 

…  
…  
...

“Rescue in our first year, rescue in our second year, and now rescue in our third.” Denki groaned as he laid on the floor. “This class always leaves me sore.”

“Complain when you make it out with a perfect score.” Bakugo nudged the blonde with his foot. 

“Bakugo, your turn is coming up.” Momo poked her head around the corner. “You’re going to be rescuing Tsu-chan.”

“Damn frog.” Bakugo got to his feet and stretched his arms as he made it out of the waiting room. He was actually glad that Asui was playing the part for his round, she never went over the top with dramatics like Four Eyes did. 

The teen took his breath as he made it to the door, he didn’t know what simulation he would get when he opened the door but he would be ready for it. Cementoss and Thirteen were overseeing this class so Bakugo had a feeling it would feel like the real deal but he had been in enough incidents at this point where it wouldn’t get to him. 

He was going to be a pro. 

The light above the door turned green and Bakugo swung the door open quickly and started running. It didn’t take long for him to realize he was in some fake suburbs and the teen had to smile. 

This was going to be too easy. 

“Ground Zero, report.” Round Face’s voice spoke in his earpiece and he smiled as he realized who was managing his comm. He hadn’t seen IcyHot all day and had been worried they would be paired together. 

“I’m on the corner of block 35 heading north. I see smoke but I don’t hear any explosions or sirens. Call for emergency services.” He kept his voice level as he ran, this was cake compared to the real deal. 

The ground rumbled and Bakugo found himself jumping up so that he could run on roof tops as the smoke in the distance got bigger. “Uravity, explosions went off. Might need to call in help for evacuation.”

“Got it, Ground Zero. Keep us updated.” He could hear her typing and wondered if she was laughing on the inside at having to be so serious. 

The ground shook again but Bakugo didn’t bother to report because he was already at the site. It was a shopping center that was on fire and there were dummies set up throughout the mall. Bakugo growled as he pressed his comm. “Reinforcements needed, and emergency services. Looks to be ten to fifteen injuries, still no site of target.”

“Confirmed, reinforcements headed your way.” Uraraka’s voice was smooth even though Bakugo knew reinforcements weren’t coming. This exercise was about immediate response as well as find and rescue. Bakugo had his goal and now he needed to find her. 

There was another explosion and Bakugo found himself blinking at the familiar smell. He could taste blood in his mouth but it didn’t matter because he wasn’t injured. 

He was fine. 

Bakugo needed to get the smoke out of his way. The teen clapped his hands together to make a controlled explosion that was more about the force of heated air than actual fire. It wasn’t as powerful as he wanted it to be yet but it did the job as the smoke went high and that’s when the teen spotted her. 

Asui was hanging from a balcony, clearly not in real danger but if she had been a civilian she would have been. 

“Target found, going in. Will report when grounded.” Bakugo didn’t bother to wait for Round Face’s reply as he blasted off into the air. He didn’t like how unstable the metal Asui was holding onto looked which meant he wouldn’t be able to make a blast too close to her. He made himself go high, letting gravity do the work before he landed on the roof near her. 

“Ground Zero here, are you injured? Can I move you?” The smell of smoke filled Bakugo’s lungs and he felt dizzy for a moment but he pushed through as Asui’s voice spoke up. 

“My arm is broken but I’m fine. Please help.” She didn’t sound helpless at all and Bakugo made a note to make fun of her later. Not yet, not when he was being graded. 

“I’m going to go down and then I’ll blast up to grab you. It’ll be quick so don’t worry.” Bakugo could hear Deku making note of his word choices. The nerd always felt that ‘blast’ and ‘grab’ felt too forceful but Bakugo was going to be to the point. Ground Zero wasn’t going to waste time. 

He landed on the ground with ease before making sure his stance was sturdy as he blasted himself up to grab her. There was rumbling in the distance of another explosion and Bakugo could taste blood again. 

It should have been easy. 

She was right there, all he had to do was grab her. 

Reach out and grab that hand. 

There was a flash of green and Bakugo reached out for Deku’s hand only to feel his fingers slip by. He needed to save Deku. 

The hand slipped from his and Bakugo felt the world spin as he tried to grab it again. “Deku!”

Then the world went white. 

…  
…  
…

Aizawa was running from his spot on the ground. He barely had enough time to activate his quirk before Bakugo hit the ground. The teen was screaming but the explosions weren’t happening this time. It seemed he was having some sort of reaction that was setting off his quirk but since it was erased now all the teen could do was scream for a friend that wasn’t there. 

The homeroom teacher glanced up to make sure Froppy was okay. Tsu-chan had moved on the balcony, when Bakugo’s first explosion went off and now she was staring at her classmate with worry as Aizawa made it over to them. 

“Fuck.”

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Sex between a couple, Aizawa is 32, Mirio is 20  
> -Flashback implied sex, Aizawa is 30, Mirio is 18  
> -Implied past trauma and dissociation   
> -PTSD symptoms   
> -Awkward teens
> 
> Reviews are always welcome!


	5. Late at night I toss and I turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The therapist seemed kind of young.” Uraraka sighed as she hugged Deku’s All Might pillow. “But this feels a little sudden.”
> 
> “Not really.” Sero was sitting on the floor, leaning back on his arms as he glanced around the room before looking at the two girls. He shrugged a bit with a frown. “It’s almost been four months and clearly we haven’t been handling this as well as we thought, otherwise the school wouldn’t have sent a mandated therapist.”
> 
> They were silent at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:  
> -This chapter is solely in the BNHA universe, there will be no HQ!! updates in this chapter.  
> -This chapter focuses on therapy for kids who have/probably have a lot of trauma. It's snippets and I am not a trained professional so please don't use view this as an accurate portrayal of therapy in any way, shape, or form. 
> 
> This was not originally what I had planned for this chapter but then I started writing and this is what came out. Since I finished early, I figured I would post it early. HOPE YOU ENJOY!
> 
> Content Warnings at the bottom.

Bakugo stared at the woman who was sitting across from him. 

She was young, had to be in her mid twenties, maybe a little older but not by much. Her long brown hair was parted to the left before being pulled back into a loose ponytail in the back. Her bangs were long and obscured her left eye that was covered by a black eyepatch. Her right eye, a sharp green color, stared right back at Bakugo. 

“You don’t have to talk, if you don’t want to.” She smiled softly, her gray suit seemed dull compared to the colorful room they were in. It was one of UA’s conference rooms and the bright red, white, and blue colors seemed to drown everything else out. 

Bakugo didn’t feel like talking so he didn’t. 

The woman seemed fine with the silence as she sat quietly. Apparently, for a therapist, she didn’t write anything down and never recorded her conversations. Bakugo wondered if it was a UA rule or a personal process for her but in the end he figured it didn’t matter. 

He didn’t have anything to say anyway. 

…  
…  
…

“You know that you have a bigger problem on your hands than just Bakugo.” The therapist sighed as she sipped the tea principal Nezu had offered her. She turned her attention to the people in the room, taking in the sight of Nezu, Eraserhead, and All Might. “You have an entire class of students, I would almost go as far as to say an entire year of students that have been attacked, forced to fight, survive, train, before the trauma started all over again until you got to where we are now.”

“We appreciate you coming in, Oguro-sensei.” Nezu gave her a nod as he took a sip of his own tea. Aizawa and Toshinori sat to the side and remained silent. “I’m sure you’re aware of a lot of the situations that have unfortunately happened to our current third years in their time at this school.”

“We do our best to prepare the students for what they’ll face when they become heroes, and that includes taking care of themselves mentally but I’m afraid I’ve let this class down.” Eraserhead’s voice was as deep as Oguro remembered. “I thought giving them space in this situation was the best choice but-”

“Were you aware that they were still looking for the missing student, Midoriya Izuku, in their own time? I saw the little office they had set up when they were out of the dorms. It was pretty state of the art.” Oguro didn’t bother waiting for Eraserhead’s reply. The man had known what his students were up, she had no doubt about that. “Did you know that part of the process of grief is understanding that you have someone to grieve? Allowing them to keep their hopes-”

“I think it’s exemplary that they have not given up on finding young Midoriya.” All Might still sounded like himself, even after two years of retirement. Oguro thought of a friend who would be beside himself to be in this situation, to be near the Symbol of Peace, and almost chuckled. 

She would leave the fanboying to the fanboys. 

“The problem isn’t that they were looking for their friend, the problem is that they aren’t dealing with the fact that he is gone. Bakugo might be the most obvious example but you can see the symptoms in all the students in class A.” Oguro set her tea down. This might be her first time at UA, but it wasn’t her first time talking to a Hero School. “I would like to meet with all the students in class A and B, and sit in on some other classes as well for year three but also the other years.”

“Of course.” Nezu smiled but Oguro wasn’t sure how the principal really felt about her being there. Then again, he had been the one to reach out to her. “We wanted Oguro-sensei to come to the school because we felt that your own personal experiences would help you talk to these students.”

She turned to look at Eraserhead who just stared back as if to say ‘of course they know’. Well, she figured it made a bit more sense when you thought about it that way. 

Her own personal experiences indeed.

“I know you already met with Bakugo once he was dismissed from the infirmary but I’m going to talk to my class after this meeting, if you would like to come as well. I can introduce you. You’ll need to talk to Vlad about his own class.” Eraserhead sat back and before turning to All Might. “Do you-”

“I’m supposed to visit Midoriya’s mother for tea. I’ll contact you afterwards.” Both men nodded at each other and Oguro got up to leave Nezu’s office with Eraserhead. She watched as All Might continued to say a few things to the principal before she followed the erasing hero out into the hall and they started to make their way to the dorms. 

“It’s a little weird, isn’t it.” Oguro frowned a bit as Eraserhead gave her a bored look. “From what I read in Midoriya’s file, All Might was basically a second father to him.”

“Your point?” Oh, she needed to be careful. Eraserhead was clearly on edge but, it also wasn’t like her to hold back. 

“Why does it feel like he’s accepted Midoriya’s disappearance?” Oguro kept looking forward as she walked. “He’s sad, that much is obvious, but why was he able to move on when this should be hitting him harder.”

There was a beat of silence, the only noise in the hall was their steps as they made their way towards the exit of the main building. Eraserhead let out a long sigh before he turned to look at her. “You should know this more than anyone, how strong men like All Might, strong men like your father, are able to hide the pain they feel when it comes to their loved ones.”

She wondered if he was talking about All Might and Midoriya, or if he was talking about Eri. Either way, she had been out of line. Oguro tapped Eraserhead on the shoulder as an apology and to let him know she understood. 

She would do her best for these students, and maybe, she could help the teachers as well. 

“How’s your husband?” Eraserhead gave her a small smirk and Oguro couldn’t help but smile back. Even after all these years, those two still liked to ruffle each other's feathers. 

“He wanted me to let you know that he’s okay with never seeing you again for as long as he lives and he hopes your students make you go bald.” Oguro tried to mimic her grumpy husband word for word and smiled when Eraserhead rolled his eyes. 

Maybe she would invite the erasing hero back to her home once this was over to surprise her husband. Soga hated surprises. 

…  
…  
…

“Are they really packing up this room?” Tsu-chan sat on Deku’s bed next to Uraraka. “I understand the secret command center but-”

“The therapist seemed kind of young.” Uraraka sighed as she hugged Deku’s All Might pillow. “But this feels a little sudden.”

“Not really.” Sero was sitting on the floor, leaning back on his arms as he glanced around the room before looking at the two girls. He shrugged a bit with a frown. “It’s almost been four months and clearly we haven’t been handling this as well as we thought, otherwise the school wouldn’t have sent a mandated therapist.”

They were silent at that. 

Bakugo’s panic attack in the middle of the rescue exercise had knocked the ground out from everyone in class A. They thought that they had been doing well, staying focused on classes while making free time to look for their missing friend. Bakugo had been the foundation in their confidence, he had been more determined than all of them while at the same time seemingly acting like his old self. He had never faltered.

But there had been cracks in their foundation and either no one noticed or no one had decided to call it out until it was too late. 

“Of course we’re going to take this hard.” Uraraka couldn’t help but feel frustrated by all of this. “It was Deku!”

“I don’t think anyone expected this to be easy.” Sero seemed lost for words for a bit before he sighed. “But be honest, we all thought Midoriya would be back by now. I keep waking up every morning expecting him to be eating breakfast when I get downstairs.”

No one could deny they had felt the same on some level. 

“I’m worried about Bakugo.” Tsu-chan touched her lips with her fingers in thought. “But maybe that was part of the problem. I’ve been so worried about everyone else, that I haven’t thought about myself since Midoriya disappeared.”

“I don’t think being worried about your friends is a bad thing.” Uraraka huffed. She knew that wasn’t the point but she still felt like class A was getting blamed for not processing Deku’s disappearance faster or in what people might consider the right way. There was no right way for her to process that her friend was gone. 

He wasn’t supposed to be gone. 

And there was nothing anyone would say that would make her feel otherwise. 

…  
…  
…

“I hope you didn’t give the students too hard of a time about this.” Tensei sat in his motorized wheel chair as he continued to take apart the computers he had set up for his little brother’s class. 

“I know your intentions were good but unfortunately, it’s not what these kids need.” Aizawa sighed as he boxed another piece of equipment. He had sent class 3-A to the training grounds with class 3-B for mock battles with Vlad and Midnight. He didn’t want them to be in the dorms when Tensei was here to take away their search equipment. Or when Midoriya’s mom got here to clean up the missing kid’s room. 

“How are we supposed to know what they need?” Tensei stared at the wrench in his hand and it made Aizawa feel bad for the retired hero. Tensei loved his brother and had honestly been trying to help but this command center had turned into a rope that was keeping the class from moving on. 

“You were in our class, Tensei.” Present Mic finished taking the door off the wall so they could start getting some of the larger pieces out into the hall for team Idaten to take back to their agency. The blond had his hair pulled back in a bun and was wearing his normal glasses instead of the usual shades as he sighed. “What did you need when Oboro was killed?”

The wrench in Tensei’s hand snapped while Aizawa glared at the blond at the door. Mic turned away for a moment before giving both the other men in the room a small bow as an apology. 

“I know you both were closer to Oboro than I ever was. We might have been in the same class but that doesn’t mean the relationships were the same but-” Tensei stared at his hands for a second before looking at his two old classmates. “I didn’t want my brother to experience the same frustration I felt when I lost a classmate and couldn’t do anything about it. When I saw that Deku was missing, all I could think about was how powerless Tenya must have felt. Was it wrong to try and give him some of that power back?”

Aizawa taped up the box he had been working on before taking a deep breath. “No, it wasn’t wrong.”

“It just wasn’t helpful.” Tensei laughed a bit but it didn’t sound genuine as he put his broken wrench in his tool kit and pulled out a new one to continue to dismantle the computer. 

“You know.” Mic sighed as he started to lean against the side paneling of the computer. “I always thought we would get things right once we became heroes but everyday it feels like we get it wrong all over again.”

There was a beat of silence and Aizawa started to regret not letting Midnight help with the move instead of Mic. “Hizashi, that really doesn’t make me feel better.”

“I’m just sayin-” Mic started again but paused where there was a knock on the wall near where the door had been. All three men glanced up to see Bakugo in his UA gym uniform. 

“What happened to class?” Aizawa wondered if something had happened at the training course and pulled out his phone to check if he had missed an alert but found none. “You should be working with your classmates right now.”

Bakugo glared at the ceiling for a moment, his hands in his pockets as he seemed to take a moment before he turned his attention to Aizawa. “Inko-obasan isn’t coming so the ha-my mom asked me to pack up Deku’s room.”

Well fuck. 

So much for heroes making mistakes, even the adults in Bakugo’s life weren’t taking everything into consideration. Or maybe they didn’t understand, wrapped up in their own grief. 

This was not a good idea. 

Aizawa knew it wasn’t a good idea, from what he heard Bakugo had refused to talk in his first two sessions with the therapist. The homeroom teacher didn’t need to be told by a professional that having Bakugo pack up his missing childhood friend’s room was a bad idea. Something must have shown on his face because the blond clicked his tongue before looking at the ground. 

Ready for the rejection that should come. 

Aizawa hated that Bakugo wasn’t even pushing, the teen was just resigned to whatever Aizawa would tell him. It was clear that the incident with their rescue training put the blond on edge but Aizawa had expected more of a fight. 

Bakugo always fought tooth and nail, even over the small petty things. 

“Why should I let you pack up his room?” The words were out of Aizawa’s mouth before he even realized he was going to allow it. He could feel Tensei and Hizashi staring at him but the homeroom teacher kept his eyes on his student. “Bakugo, why should-”

“Because his mom asked me to.” Bakugo glanced up there, his hands were out of his pockets and his fists were clenched tightly but the teen was staring at Aizawa as if to make the teacher understand his words. “Inko-obasan asked me and this is something I can do.”

Because Bakugo couldn’t bring her son back. 

Fuck. 

Aizawa took a breath before he pointed to the pile of unused boxes by the door. “Use as many boxes as you need, and tape should be in the hall. Stack everything on the wall outside his door and I’ll be by with a marker to help label things.”

The teen just nodded as he grabbed a few boxes before he left, barely giving Hizashi and Tensei a nod. The men stood there for a moment until they heard Midoriya’s door open and then close and then Tensei let out a breath. 

“If it makes you feel better, I think that was the right thing to do.” Tensei gave the other men in the room a small smile before he got back to work. 

Aizawa didn’t really feel good or bad about that decision, but when his phone beeped in his pocket he figured he would have other things to keep him busy in the meantime. He would check on Bakugo in a bit, maybe even help the teen pack the room, but he would give his student a few moments on his own first. 

…  
…  
…

“And why do you think you’re here?” Oguro watched as the young girl twirled her extended earlobe like a piece of hair. 

“Because we all have to be here, ya know?” Jiro fiddled a bit more with her earlobe before she sighed. “I don’t think we have much of a choice.”

“You don’t.” Oguro admitted, giving the teen a smile. “But it’s not because anyone did anything wrong, you understand that, right?”

Jiro was quiet for a moment. The teen was wearing a t-shirt with a rock band on it and ripped skinny jeans. She tilted her head to the side in thought before she frowned and started to pick at her jeans. “It doesn’t matter if we do anything wrong, things will always happen to us.”

Oguro wondered about that. She was aware of everything class three had been involved with publicly, and she was even aware of some of the things that had been kept silent. It wouldn’t be hard to assume there was a target on these kids’ backs. 

Especially when there were times that they were actually the targets. 

“It started in our first year, ya know.” Jiro picked at her jeans a bit more before glancing up at the therapist. “We weren’t anybody yet and we were attacked during training. I mean, we learned later that it was villains trying to take out All Might, but why us? Why our class?”

Oguro leaned against the side of her chair, keeping her posture relaxed. “Would you have rather it had been another class?”

“No! That isn’t what I mean.” Jiro started twirling her earlobe again. She was nervous and Oguro couldn’t blame her, but was trying to do her best to keep the atmosphere relaxed. Jiro took a deep breath. “If it had to be a class then I’m glad it was ours, which might be weird to say but we everyone made it out of that attack alive. I wish we had known the things that we know now but we were only first years then.”

“It’s just, sometimes, when there is always something happening to you or your friends, you start to expect it to happen.” Jiro sighed. “I wish I could have brought Denki with me for this session.”

“Kaminari Denki, correct?” Oguro smiled a bit as Jiro blushed. “He’s your boyfriend?”

Jiro nodded, trying to play it cool but her small smile gave her away. “At the end of our first year, we had been through so much together and we kind of just . . . happened. He’s an idiot but he’s my idiot.”

“I’m glad that you have someone you can rely on.” Oguro thought back to her own youth. “I’m sure you know this by now but you’ll meet a lot of people in your life. It’s important to hold on to the good ones.”

“Everyone in class A is a good one.” Jiro smiled brightly. 

…  
…  
…

“I heard you packed up Midoriya’s room for his mother. That was kind of you.” Oguro decided to try a new tactic this session with Bakugo to see if she could get the teen to talk to her. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with the silence but she wanted to see some development with him soon or she was going to have to ask to put the teen on a leave of absence and she didn’t want that. 

From what she understood about his personality, she felt like taking him out of school would actually be more detrimental for him than keeping him here. 

Bakugo was leaning back in his chair, his feet up on the coffee table as he stared out of the large window in the room that Oguro had finally claimed as her office. It was small but had comfortable seating and was close enough to the teacher’s lounge that if she needed anything it would take long to get it. She eyed the blond a bit and let him catch her staring as he eyed her back. 

“I want to talk with you about how everything began.” She turned her attention to the window as well, getting relaxed in her seat as she watched the clouds. “Everyone’s story starts somewhere, I’m sure your story had an interesting beginning.”

“If you want to read about the sludge villain incident, I’m sure it’s in my folder.” His voice was rough and soft but Oguro heard it loud and clear. 

She didn’t turn her attention to him but continued to watch the clouds. “So you consider that incident your beginning?”

“What?” She could see Bakugo rub his face in the reflection on the mirror before the teen was glaring at the side of her face. “Everyone always wants to talk about the sludge villain, like it was some big thing. I was in middle school, Deku was in middle school, I don’t want to talk about it.”

She turned so that she could meet his gaze. “Actually, I was hoping you could start earlier than that. When did you two meet?”

“Meet?” Bakugo seemed annoyed and she had a moment of worry that he was about to go silent again before the teen just seemed to go limp in the chair as he turned his attention back to the sky outside. “We never met, as far as I know. He’s just always been there as far back as I can remember.”

That was an interesting way to put it, and oddly, it was nice. Oguro smiled at the warm thought as she relaxed even more. 

“Always been there, it must have been nice to always have someone by your side.” Oguro waited for Bakugo to react to that statement but when he didn’t she continued on. “I saw that you both went to the same pre-school.”

“Same pre-school, same elementary school, same middle school, and I’m sure you can guess but the nerd even followed me to the same high school.” His voice was getting a little louder, more to what she expected after seeing him in interviews on tv and Oguro wondered what it must have been like to always have someone there. 

Never alone. 

“You were his bully.” She kept the words soft, but could tell that he heard as he inhaled deeply. She sat up a bit and turned her body so that she was fully facing the teen now. “I have the records, I know that-”

“You know absolute shit.” Bakugo’s voice was like fire and it pierced the room. Oguro blinked as the blond turned his body so that he was facing her as well. “You don’t know a fucking thing, just what you read on a shitty piece of paper. You just know the past like how it’s written in a text book, that doesn’t mean you fucking understand shit.”

“You want me to talk about being his bully? Being a bully?” Bakugo sneered at her. “Fuck you. I already went on that personal journey and made it out on the other side. Now what else do you you want to know or is this just a fucking waste of both our godamn time?” 

Oguro couldn’t stop the smile that formed on her lips at his words and knew her reaction seemed to startle him as he frowned at her.

“Fine, you don’t want to talk about that.” Oguro turned her attention to the windows again. “You mentioned that you felt like the sludge incident was your beginning, do you want to talk about why you feel that way?”

“Fuck you.”

Well, she had to admit, it was better than the silence. 

…  
…  
…

“He was important to everyone.” Ayoama spoke wistfully. “He knew how to take charge when we needed him to and was able to let others take charge instead if that’s what was needed.”

“Midoriya sounds like an amazing person.” Oguro admitted as she handed the other teen a cup of tea. He stared down at the liquid for a moment while holding the cup as if he was trying to steal the heat before he glanced up at the therapist. 

“He was our friend.” Ayoama took a sip of the drink before looking at Oguro. His eyes shone with tears that he was fighting back. “He was my friend.”

…  
…  
…

“I heard your class is even dragging my class into these shrink visits.” Monoma didn’t bother to greet anyone else from class A as he climbed into Shinso’s lap to glare down at his purple haired boyfriend. “You fuckers really like to drag the rest of us through the mud with you, don’t you.”

“Is this some sort of foreplay for you?” Mina sounded genuinely curious as she stared at both the boys on the couch. 

“Monoma, you should be in your dorm.” Iida sighed from the kitchen but didn’t make any movement to actually remove the blonde. Monoma glanced over to give Mina a smile as he grabbed Shinso’s tie. 

“If Shinso gets off on me talking down to him, don’t you think it’s more of a reflection on class A than it is class B?” He smirked as he started to undo Shinso’s tie, his boyfriend just gave him a hooded look and Monoma licked his lips. “You going to tell the therapist how you want to fuck me in front of your classmates?”

“No.” Iida’s voice was firm and it made Monoma pout as Shinso grabbed his thighs to lift the blond up as the purple haired teen got to his feet.

“Sorry, fuckface. Looks like Iida won’t allow it.” Shinso sounded bored but Monoma didn’t mind as the blond kept a tight grip on his boyfriend’s shoulders as he was carried to the elevators. Monoma gave everyone a wave as they made it into the enclosed space but he still managed to hear Mina’s parting words. 

“Why do I feel like their relationship is actually pretty healthy?” Mina genuinely sounded confused. “Maybe I should ask the therapist.”

“Please don’t.” Iida’s voice sounded defeated and Monoma did laugh then as the doors finally shut to the elevator. 

The blond tightened his thighs around Shinso’s waist so that he could look down at his boyfriend and ran a hand through Shinso’s hair to make the teen look at him. “You okay?”

Shinso didn’t answer right away and Monoma took that as permission to kiss the taller teen. Shinso opened up willingly beneath him and the blond deepened the kiss before they heard the elevator ding again and the doors opened. 

“Please tell me you didn’t give Iida too much grief.” Todoroki stood outside the door and even took a step away to give them room to pass by. 

“Wouldn’t be any grief to give him if you would just tap his ass.” Monoma chuckled before he hissed when Shinso bit his cheek. He glanced at his boyfriend before frowning and looking at Todoroki. “My bad, pretend I didn’t say that.”

“Whatever.”

Monoma didn’t bother to give the dual toned teen another thought as they finally made it to Shinso’s room. He had to reach behind him to open the door, grateful that it was unlocked as they pushed their way in and then Monoma was falling backwards as Shinso deposited him on the bed. The blonde couldn’t help but smile. “You didn’t want to fuck standing up?”

“Not this time.” Shinso sighed as he crawled into bed next to Monoma and buried his face into the teen’s neck. Monoma slid his hands under Shinso’s shirt for some skinship and they settled on top of each other and just enjoyed the closeness for a moment. 

The blond couldn’t help but think that this wasn’t so bad. 

Man, class A was turning him into a sap. 

…  
…  
...

“This might surprise you, but I’m not actually here to make things worse for you.” Oguro tried to keep her voice even as the rather well built blue-haired teen stared at her. 

“Please don’t assume you know what we think.” Iida’s voice was calm and Oguro had to remember that this kid had been class rep for all three years. She hadn’t meant to come off as if she was pandering to him and now she was already a step behind. The teen sat rigidly in his seat before he got up and started pacing behind the couch he had been sitting in. “I meant no disrespect, Oguro-sensei, but we want to find our friend. We haven’t done anything wrong.”

He was going to be a tough one. 

“Iida, do you feel better when you move around?” Oguro stood from her chair. “If you want, we could go on a walk instead of staying in the office.”

“I’m fine.” Iida paused before he shook his head. “Actually, a walk would be nice. I do feel more comfortable if I can move.”

Oguro nodded as she made her way out of the door. She made sure the teen came out into the hall next to her before she poked her head into the teacher’s lounge to see Present Mic and Snipe sitting at their computers. “Excuse me, I’ll be walking the school grounds with Iida. If anyone needs him or me, please call my phone.”

“You got it!” Mic shouted with a smile as Snipe gave her a thumbs up. She turned back to Iida and motioned for him to lead the way. 

“I’m not familiar with the school grounds but I heard they have a nice garden. Do you mind leading the way?” She was glad she had started to wear her sneakers as she talked to the students, dressing more casually than she had on her first day. 

“You weren’t a student?” Iida paused as if unsure if he was allowed to ask her a question and Oguro just patted him on the arm as she shook her head. 

“Oh no, I had no interest in hero work. My father was a hero, and it put a lot of strain on our family.” She smiled as he opened the door for her and she made her way out of the building and onto the grass as she continued to follow up. “He was a good man, my dad, but it took me a long time before I was able to see heroes for what they are.”

“Are?” She had his attention and she couldn’t help but let her fingers run against the green bushes they were walking next to. She paused a bit before she turned to the teen with a small smile. 

“Flawed human beings, just like the rest of us.” Oguro had to look up at Iida to make eye contact with him but she didn’t mind as she smiled. “And isn’t that more amazing? These flawed human beings want to be heroes, knowing they are human and maybe even in spite of it.”

Iida didn’t respond to that but instead continued to walk through the grass. They eventually made it to the garden which, Oguro had to admit, was spectacular. She made note of places to sit and wondered if she should bring more of her sessions out here while the weather was nice. 

They managed to make a full circle of the garden in silence before Oguro walked over to the fountain and sat on the edge. She was about to break the silence but Iida beat her to it as he stood in front of her. 

“When I was at my lowest, after my brother was forced to retire, it was Midoriya and Todoroki who saved me.” Iida paused and Oguro wondered if he was talking about the Hosu incident, where Endeavor saved the teens from the Hero Killer Stain. At least, that was what was in the report. There were some whispers on the street of a different turn of events but Oguro wasn’t here to reveal any cover ups. 

She was here for the kids. 

“I had forgotten what it meant to be a hero, or maybe I hadn’t understood what it meant then but then they made me see the error of my ways.” Iida glanced as his arm and Oguro wondered what injuries he was thinking about before the teen met her gaze. “Our friend is missing.”

“He is.”

“We just wanted to try and find him.” Iida stared at her.

“That wasn’t the problem.” Oguro kept her voice soft as they kept eye contact. “Do you know what the problem was? Do you know why I’m here?”

Iida clenched his fists and grit his teeth for a moment, clearly trying to force the words out even though he didn’t want to say them. Oguro didn’t push, wanted to make sure he had the time to say it himself. 

The teen took a deep breath before looking at the sky. “We haven’t acknowledged that he might not come back. We started to neglect ourselves in order to find our friend.”

“You know Midoriya better than I ever will, so can you tell me if he would want this to happen?” Oguro brushed her hair behind her ear, knowing it made her eyepatch stand out as she watched the teen. “Would he be happy to know that his disappearance has affected your roles as future heroes this much?”

Iida didn’t say anything to that but Oguro felt like she knew his answer. 

…  
…  
…

“I’m sad sometimes.” The quiet voice didn’t fit the tall and muscular body but Oguro couldn’t help but want to wrap a blanket around the teen. Koda took the blanket with a smile before he glanced at the ground. “Sometimes I’m sad for reasons, like Midoirya, but other times I’m just sad and I don’t know why.”

“That’s completely fine.” Oguro smoothed out the blanket against his back as she sat next to the teen with a smile. He seemed to respond better to physical touch and she did her best to make sure he felt like he could talk. “It’s okay to feel sad and not know why.”

“Really?” Koda seemed startled by that before he glanced up at her. 

“Really.”

…  
…  
...

“Have you ever seen someone destroy themselves to save a friend?” Uraraka liked to ask questions and Oguro didn’t mind, as long as it kept the conversation going. 

“I have.” Oguro admitted, thinking of her old man. “I’ve seen heroes destroy themselves for far less.” 

“Iida told me your dad was a hero.” Uraraka waited for Oguro to nod before she curled her feet underneath her on the sofa. “He made it seem like it wasn’t a good experience.” 

“Like all families, some are more complicated than others. I’m sure things would have been different if he hadn’t been a hero but I’m not always sure if it would have been better.” Oguro always figured honesty was the best solution. 

“The first time I realized what it meant to lose, as a hero, at training camp in our first year. Deku was on the ground screaming, his body already beaten to pulp, but he was still screaming for Bakugo.” Uraraka started picking at the edge of the pillow. “I hadn’t realized how optimistic we had been, how sure we had been that we were going to save Bakugo until we failed.”

“Bakugo means a lot to you?” Oguro had her suspicions on those two teens’ relationship but Uraraka seemed to find the question amusing. 

“He’s a jerk but he’s our jerk.” Uraraka stared at the pillow in her arms and sighed. “Deku used to say that that Bakugo was victory personified, but I think a little bit of that was just Midoriya being blinded by hero worship.”

“Was Midoriya a fan of Ground Zero?” Oguro wondered how that worked but Uraraka just chuckled.

“Do you believe in soul mates?” Uraraka smiled and Oguro figured she must have made an expression because the teen laughed and waved her off. “I know, I know. Seems a bit silly but I didn’t believe in soul mates until I met those two. If there was ever a chance that soul mates were real, that I think those two are it.”

“I’m not sure Bakugo would agree with you.” Oguro honestly thought if she brought that up Bakugo might explode her office. 

“Because he’s an idiot.” Uraraka scoffed before she sighed. “He might use different words but they mean the same thing. Admiration instead of love, respect instead of equals, rivalry instead of foreplay, but it’s the same.”

Oguro wasn’t sure rivalry and foreplay were the same thing but she decided to not touch that one. At least not yet.

“For Bakugo?”

“For both of them.” Uraraka sighed as she leaned against the couch back. “Was Deku a fan of Ground Zero? Yes. He was Ground Zero’s first and biggest fan.”

“What about you?” Oguro watched as Uraraka’s cheeks turned pink. 

“What about me?”

“Are you a fan of Ground Zero? Or do you like someone else? Do you have someone you admire, someone you respect, someone you consider a rival?” Oguro smiled softly as Uraraka started shaking her head. “You seem close to Iida?”

“Oh, Iida’s in love with-” As soon as the words slipped out of Uraraka’s mouth the brunette covered her mouth and stared at the therapist.

“You don’t need to tell me.” Oguro waved the girl off. “But what about you? Do you have someone?”

“I have my friends.” Uraraka hugged the pillow tighter as she stared at Oguro. “This might surprise you but class 3-A is a family. We’re there for each other and always will be. If one of use goes missing, we will do our best to make sure to bring them back home.”

“And what will you do if you can’t bring them back home?”

Uraraka paused for a moment before she smiled. “Then we just have to try harder.”

…  
…  
…

“What’s ‘catch-a-kacchan’?” Oguro actually wrote that one down and she smiled as Bakugo blew up the pillow on her couch.

“Who the fuck told you about that?”

…  
…  
...

“If you're asking if Midoriya tends to be more self-sacrificing than most then I would have to be honest and say, yes, his history definitely shows that.” Yaoyorozu Momo was probably the most refined young lady Oguo had ever met. She sat with a perfect posture in a cute empire waist dress that made her seem more put together than even Oguro. The teen had both her hands on her lap as she continued their conversation. “But Midoriya was changing, he was learning that trusting those around him was part of being a hero.”

“But he would rather have himself be the one in danger?” Oguro tapped her fingers on the side of the chair. 

“When Bakugo had been taken, in our first year, I was part of the group of students with Midoriya who went to go save him.” Momo paused before glanced out at the garden. They had opted for an outside session since it was such a beautiful day but Oguro had to admit, the scenery seemed to make Momo look like a princess. “In that time, Midoriya had plenty of time to be reckless and run off on his own. It would have endangered all of us, but instead he worked out a plan that not only made sure we stayed out of the fight but that we all were able to get to safety in the end.”

“Was his behavior out of consideration to the group, or because the group kept him in place?” 

“Do you know what Midoriya’s quirk is?” Momo seemed to be changing the conversation but Oguro thought about it. 

“Super powered strength, though it has adapted so that he also has a black-like whip and the ability to float.” Oguro tapped her chin. “I believe that his file said his quirk was still developing, like most heroes, and that there was potential for more.”

“Exactly.” Momo stared a bit too long before she smiled at the therapist. “Now, he might not have had the same control over his powers in the first year but does he sound like someone who couldn’t run off on his own if he wished to?”

Oguro had to nod there. “You have a point.”

They enjoyed the outside scenery a bit more before Momo seemed to hesitate and Oguro found herself perking up. The teen tapped her knees for a moment before she looked at the older woman. 

“Do you have secrets?”

“Of course, we all have secrets.” Oguro waved around in the air to emphasize by all she meant everyone in the world. 

“Midoriya had secrets he couldn’t share with us.” Momo tapped her fingers on her knees again. “So sometimes, his actions might not make sense to you or even to me but once I got to know him, I realized how amazing he truly was. His actions, his instincts as a hero, were always about how to help those who needed help, and never at the expense of other heroes around him.”

“You know how the hero network works.” Momo ran hand through her long ponytail. “A hero has their role to protect society but at the end of the day, our jobs are competitive. We must compete against each other just as much as we work together to get better rankings and get better jobs.”

“And Midoriya’s secrets helped him be a better hero?”

“I’m saying he was a good hero in spite of his secrets.” Momo smiled. “He was given an opportunity to be a hero and he was willing to do whatever it took to make sure that happened. It took a long time before I realized just how special Midoriya was, and I can understand why no one in our class wants him to be gone. Even now, I can’t fathom the idea of him truly not being here.”

“. . . does that mean you knew his secret?” Oguro paused as Momo smiled at her. 

Momo didn’t answer the question but instead closed her eyes and enjoyed the sun a bit longer. 

…  
…  
…

Sato, Asui, Ojiro, and Shoji all sat on the steps outside their dorm as they slowly picked at the brownies Sato had made. The sun was going down on the warm summer day but somehow they couldn't bring themselves to go back inside. 

“What if . . .” Ojiro started before his tail curled over his shoulder and he frowned. “What if Deku really is gone?”

Shoji reached over and grabbed the teen’s hand with his own as they stared out at the lawn. It was quiet outside and they knew they should be heading in but they weren’t ready. 

Not yet. 

…  
…  
...

“You wanted to talk to me?” Mirio was surprised as he stared at the short woman in front of him. Her black eyepatch was almost hidden away by her hair today, which was wearing down instead of pulled back into the usual ponytail. “But I’m not actually a student of class A.”

“I didn’t ask you here to talk to you as a student, but as a friend.” Oguro smiled but Mirio was just more confused. 

“Are we friends?” Mirio smiled at that before he motioned between them. “Wait, have we met?”

“No, no.” Oguro waved him off as she took a seat on the sofa and motioned for him to join her. “But I’m a friend of your partner, Aizawa. At least, I consider him a friend.”

Mirio paused, his smile falling a little bit as he rubbed the back of his head. “Did Shota ask you to check in on me?”

“No, he didn’t, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t want me to.” She pushed her hair behind her ear and made sure he had plenty of room to join her on the sofa as she smiled at him. “If it makes you feel better, I’ve been checking in on him as well.”

Mirio joined her on the couch at that. “Is he okay? We’ve talked about it but sometimes I wonder if-”

“He’s doing fine.” Oguro paused for a bit and Mirio wondered if she was telling the truth but then she smiled at him sadly and he had a better idea of what she was about to ask him. “I never got to meet Eri, and I was wondering, if you were okay with it, if you could tell me about her.”

Mirio smiled brightly at that, his heart ached every time he thought of the young girl but it was always overwhelmed by how much he loved Eri. 

“I do better than that.” Mirio pulled out his phone and made sure to sit so that Oguro could see the photos. “This is from when she tried to cut Shota’s hair for him while he was sleeping, and then this one…”

…  
…  
…

“Did you know that sometimes tasting blood is a sign of a panic attack?” All Might startled at the blond sitting across from him glared at the older man. The retired hero had been hoping to talk to Bakugo about his work study, something the kid still hadn’t signed up for, but instead he was getting told something that made the older man feel uneasy. 

Bakugo clicked his tongue and All Might sighed. 

“I didn’t.” All Might runned the back of his neck before he glanced at the young man sitting across from him. “Did you learn that from Oguro-sensei?”

“Yeah, she walked me through all my symptoms.” Bakugo sounded more frustrated about the fact that he had symptoms to read out loud more than he was mad that the therapist had done so. “It was still a waste of time.”

“Young Bakugo . . .” 

“All Might.” Bakugo slammed his foot on the table as he stared at the older man. “Have you teachers ever thought about why it might be so hard for us to admit that Deku is gone? Did you ever think about who he was, everything that he went through, only to have him taken away in a measly patrol? Deku? Survives Shigaraki and All for One, but put him in a situation with a stupid nomu and a little girl on the line, he suddenly fails.”

All Might clench his fists at that and Bakugo leaned forward in his seat as he glared at the older man. Bakugo was smirking but he wasn’t happy as he growled at the older man. “Everything you worked for, everything your predecessors worked for, all useless because fucking Deku failed.”

“He didn’t fail.” All Might didn’t understand why Bakugo was acting like this. “Midoriya was a hero.”

“He still fucking is you-” Bakugo’s teeth clenched together, like he usually did when the teen was trying not to curse at All Might. Even after all these years the teen still had a hard time fighting between his nature and his respect for the older man. “Everyone wants us to grieve and move on with our lives. Deku and Eri are gone and we’re supposed to move on but I can’t do that.”

“Did you tell Oguro-sensei-” 

“Fuck, All Might, I don’t want to talk to her. I’m telling you this shit. If you want to tell her then fine, but just let me say my goddamn piece, fuck.” Bakugo sighed before he put his feet on the ground and sat a little straighter so that he could stare at the older man. “Deku was always going to die in the line of duty, and I was ready for that.”

“Young Bakugo . . .”

“But if you’re telling me that he died when Eri’s life was on the line, died after failing that little girl he spent so much of his time trying to make smile then . . .” Bakugo stopped there and went quiet. The older man didn’t know what to do but settled for waiting to see if the blond teen would continue. 

“That’s all I wanted to say.” Bakugo got to his feet. “I’ll keep talking to the therapist and whatever bullshit this school wants to throw my way but I’m telling you right now, All Might, I’m not going to believe that little shit is dead until I see it with my own eyes.”

All Might watched the teen walk away, unsure of what he should do before the older man placed his head in his hands. 

He hoped, oh how he hoped that Bakugo was right and Young Midoriya was alive. 

He just wished he could believe it as fervently as the blond teen did. 

…  
…  
...

Oguro hadn’t known what to expect from the son of Endeavor but she had honestly been expecting some kind of response or conversation from the teen. Instead she had a handsome young man sitting silently in her office for over an hour. 

She tried something different for their later sessions. 

“Your dad seems to be making the news a lot more recently, I’m surprised you’re not going to his agency for your work study.” Oguro had laid out a blanket in the garden and the teen sat on the opposite end from her. “Or are you worried about the Mirko rumors?”

“My father is allowed to date others now that the divorced is finalized. If he’s chosen to date Mirko, then he would have my blessing.” Though by his expression, Oguro figured that Todoroki honestly didn’t care and she was worried she would need to find something else to talk about but the teen just sighed. “And I chose to study with Best Jeanist because while he might officially be the number two hero, he is ranked number one in approval ratings and I felt that I could learn from that.” 

“Do you think approval ratings should replace the current ranking system?” Oguro was genuinely curious, it had been a conversation over the years. Something that had been sparked by the now retired and reclusive Hawks. 

“I don’t want to talk about my dad.” Todoroki sighed and Oguro took a chance on something else. 

“Do you want to talk about what happened last year?” The therapist was genuinely curious. The public knew the teen had gone missing for two days before the report stated that his father had saved him. What wasn’t common knowledge was the fact that Todoroki had taken a month leave from school afterwards to stay in his family home. Oguro hadn’t known that until she had seen it in his school file. The teen tensed at her words and she sighed. “Then do you want to talk about Midoriya?”

“What do you want me to say?” Todoroki glanced at her and she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. She wondered what was keeping him up at night, which of his life experiences clinged to him or was it all of them. The teen glanced at the blanket before sighing. “If Izuku is gone or even if he’s not, we don’t have the power to do anything about it. Not yet.”

Oguyo perked up at that. “You’re the second person to use his first name so far.”

Todoroki paused at that as if he hadn’t thought about it before he shrugged. “Was the other person Tsu-chan?” 

“She’s very adamant that people call her that, isn’t she?” Oguro smiled and Todoroki just nodded. “I heard from your other classmates that you’ve been keeping an eye on them. Making sure they didn’t push themselves too hard.”

“Only Iida.” Todoroki smirked, still looking at the blanket. “I’m sure he’s the one that said that but he was the one stay up all hours to try and find different signs of where Izuku could have gone.”

“It sounds like you were awake too.” Oguro tilted her head to the sky and enjoyed the sun for a moment. When she glanced over Todoroki was starting at his right hand before he glanced over at her. 

They had a small stare off, both waiting for the other to look away before the teen finally sighed. “I have nightmares.”

“Do you want to talk about them?”

Todoroki seemed to pause for a moment before he shook his head. “No, at least, not yet.”

Oguro watched the teen for a moment, it would have to be something she wrote up in her report but she wasn’t going to force the teen. She would make sure that each student had her contact information after this, just in case. She sat forward a bit before getting to her feet. “Then how about going on a walk? You can tell me about your classmates, or maybe your favorite memories from school so far.”

The teen stared at her for a moment, clearly wondering if this was a trap of some sort before he got to his feet as well and pointed towards the main building in the distance. “Do you see the pole on the roof? We had to tie Izuku up there when he lost control of his float quirk and couldn’t get back on the ground.”

“That must have been scary for him!” Oguro was not a fan of heights. She couldn’t imagine what she would do if her quirk let her float away. 

Todoroki just gave her a small smile. “Bakugo ended up tying a string to Izuku’s waist and we had to take turns bringing him to different parts of campus. He was like a green balloon.”

…  
…  
...

Denki sighed as he wiped down the table. Toru, Sero, and Ashido were with him on cleaning duty for the common area and they had all been quiet this time around. 

“Hey.” Toru was next to him, her school uniform seeming to float as she took his rag from the table. “Are you okay? Want me to get Jiro?”

Denki blushed at that as he rubbed his nose. “No, I’m fine. I was going to see her after this but I think she went to bed early. I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

There was a beat as Mina and Sero came over to them. Sero pulled out a chair and put his head on the table while Mina, sitting down as well, just put her head in her hands as she stared at her other classmates. “Is it weird that I feel better after talking to Oguro-sensei? I feel bad that I feel better.”

Denki didn’t think it was bad. He rubbed his head as he and Toru took a seat and the four of them just sighed together before he shrugged. “That’s why she came here, right? To help us?”

“And you’ve been down since you broke up with Kirishima.” Sero picked his head up so that he could look at Mina. Denki tried to kick the other boy under the table but missed and Sero kept talking. “He hasn’t told us why, was it because he liked getting pegged?” 

Toru choked and Denki put his face in his hands as Mina went from pink to red. 

“He didn’t tell you why we broke up but he told you about that?” Mina laughed, always a bright spot in the group before she waved Sero off. “I actually liked pegging him, so it wasn’t that.”

Now everyone’s faces were red, Denki almost felt like he could see the flush on Toru’s face as well. 

“It wasn’t a bad break up, we still love each other . . .” Mina pouted a bit. “But it started to feel like we were together just because it made sense and not because we actually wanted to be together. We can’t all be in love like Denki and Jiro.”

“Or Monoma and Shinso.” Denki smiled as his table mates groaned. It was still weird for everyone in class A that Monoma and Shinso really did seem to be in a good relationship. They had all thought it had been a weird phase on Shinso’s part but it had been over a year now. “I think it’s time we admit that Monoma, despite being crazy, actually might have a heart.”

“Don’t let Kendo hear you say that.” Sero laughed before he turned to Mina. “If it makes you feel better, talking to Oguro-sensei helped me too.”

“Me too!” Toru was probably smiling from the tone of her voice but it was hard to tell when you couldn’t actually see her expression. “It was good to talk to someone from outside, I guess.”

Denki nodded at that. 

Maybe they still weren’t ready to say that Midorirya was never coming back but they were ready to move forward. If their friend did show up, like they hoped he would, then they would be there for him.

And if he never came back?

They would be there for each other. 

…  
…  
...

“We’re all friends, you don’t survive things together like we have without becoming friends.” Oguro watched as Kendo walked with her hands. The therapist had to admit, she was a fan of Battle Fist and to meet the young hero in person had thrilled her. The fact that Kendo also just seemed like a generally nice and well-rounded individual made the therapist’s hero crush a little stronger. 

“Class B lost a classmate last year, wasn’t it?” Oguro had seen it on the news. A young girl hero getting caught in a fight against the League of Villains. It had been one of the last times anyone had seen Dabi before the villains demise but the cost had been countless lives. 

“Kodai saved a lot of people that day.” Kendo seemed sad as she remembered her friend before the girl turned her attention to Oguro. “But with Midoriya it’s different. We got to bury our friend, we got to honor her life . . . they don’t even know if he’s dead.”

“Are you worried about class A?” Oguro was genuinely curious. 

All the third years, regardless of class, seemed to be worried for each other. They cared for each other and even if their rivalry was strong, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t be there for each other. 

“I’m worried for all my friends.” Kendo smiled softly as she intertwined her fingers in her lap. “I’m a bit of a worrier but Tetsutetsu says that it’s part of my charm.”

“Who worries about you then?” 

Kendo just smiled brightly as she glanced up at the therapist. “My friends, we are all mutual worriers.”

…  
…  
…

“So Midoriya hasn’t been the only person you’ve been searching for in these past few months.” Ogura sat with her legs crossed as she stared at the bird-like teen. Tokoyami always responded to her questions but he somehow felt more guarded than either Bakugo or Todoroki. 

“Yes, I’ve been searching for my old mentor for over a year.” He stated it for what it was, a fact. He wasn’t hiding anything. 

“Did you ever wonder if maybe Hawks doesn’t want to be found?” Oguro was genuinely curious why the teen was so attached to a hero he had only worked with for a few scattered weeks but she supposed, it probably was some sort of hero connect. 

“Of course.” Tokoyami nodded, his hands on his knees as he kept eye contact with her. “But I have something I want to tell him. Once I talk to him, I’ll leave him alone if that’s what he truly wants.”

Oguro paused at that. She tapped her fingers on the seat before she sat back. 

“Do you think Hawks needs to be saved?”

He didn’t reply right away as he watched her before he tilted his head down in thought. “I don’t know what he needs, but I . . . I need to speak with him.”

“And Midoriya?”

“Deku will let us know what he needs when he comes back.” Tokoyami glanced at her as if to say ‘I know what you’re trying to do’ before the teen shook his head. “Or maybe if he doesn’t come back, that is his way of letting us know that he doesn’t need anything.”

Well, Oguro thought, that was one way to look at it. 

…  
…  
…

“You’re pretty talkative today.” Oguro couldn’t help but smile as the blond glared at her. 

“This is what you fucking wanted, right?” Bakugo was laying on his back on the couch, his feet over the edge of the arm rest while he would either stare at the ceiling or glare over to Oguro who was just watching him. “I’m tired.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The blond clicked his tongue, because he clearly did not want to talk about it but it seemed that Bakugo had reached a moment where the teen was no longer fighting with the fact that he needed to talk to a therapist. 

“I decided a long time ago to stop doing things I would regret.” He sat up from his spot on the couch and turned so that he could kick his feet up on the coffee table and glare at her. “You’re telling me that I have to slow down, that I need to grieve for Deku before I can keep being a hero. Fuck that.”

“Baku-”

“Fuck that.” He repeated as he clenched his fists. “Then I won’t be a hero. If you’re telling me that I have to say he’s dead to be a hero then I’m done because he’s not dead. I won’t grieve the little shit when he’s not dead.”

“Think about what Deku would want.” Oguro sighed. “He would want you to be a hero. You are a hero.”

“Then fuck you and fuck him. If Deku has something to say then he better say it to my face.” The blond kicked the coffee table and got to his feet. “Fail me or let me do things my way, I don’t care but I’m not going to do something I know I’ll regret.”

Oguro just sighed as she watched the door close once the teen left her office. 

…  
…  
…

“I’ve adjusted to the hero course, my friends are worried because I’m dating a sociopath, and Deku was my friend but I know that no one is immortal.” Shinso sighed and Oguro didn’t know what to do with this kid. 

“Should I ask you about your sociopath boyfriend?” 

“He makes cute noises when he sucks my dick so I decided to keep him.” Shinso rolled his head to the side so that he could look out the window. “Anything else you want to know?”

Well, Oguro thought, two could play at that game. 

“Have you ever used quirks during sex? I heard Monoma had an interesting one.” She smirked as Shinso glanced at her, a small smile forming on his lips. 

She just wanted to roll her eyes. 

Teenagers. 

…  
…  
…

“From what I hear, you’ve been Bakugo’s rock through all of this.” Oguro smiled at the red haired teen as he shook his head. 

“Being a good friend is the manly thing to do.” The red head tapped his own arm as if to show off his muscles, which were nice, as he smiled at the therapist. “Katsuki is my bro, I’ll always be there for him if he needs me to be.”

“Does that put a lot of pressure on you?” Oguro crossed her legs. “Being the strong friend all the time, do you ever give yourself a moment to be weak?

The teen paused at that question before he faced Oguro more seriously. “Oguro-sensei, it’s not about being the strong friend or the weak friend. It’s about being there for your friend when they need it, no strings attached.”

“That’s very mature.” Oguro smiled and the redhead blushed as he rubbed the back of his head. 

“I guess being mature can be manly too.” 

…  
…  
…

“Am I really the last student you’re seeing after all of this?” The blond seemed surprised and Oguro couldn’t help but smile as she held out her hand for Monoma to shake. 

“You were an interesting conversationalist.” She admitted as the teen took her hand. 

The blond paused for a moment before he smiled at her. “You don’t have a quirk.”

“No, I don’t.” Oguro led the way to the as she smiled at the blond teen. “Monoma, you aren’t a sociopath. You should probably stop telling people that you are.”

Monoma rubbed his hair a bit before he shrugged. “I don’t think anyone actually believes it.”

Oguro smiled at that. “They don’t.”

…  
…  
…

Aizawa sighed as he walked the woman to the gate. “Feels like you were here for longer than a week.”

“You wanted a quick assessment and I did my end of the bargain.” Oguro smiled as she turned to the older man. “You have a great class of kids, Eraserhead.”

“Hm.” He agreed. He was about to wave her off before he recognized a head of turquoise hair and found himself smirking. “Your husband came to pick you up.”

“Soga!” Aizawa watched as the therapist ran over to her husband and gave him a hug. The punk had the audacity to give Aizawa a nod so the older man just glared at them as they started to walk away. 

He would have to ask them over to dinner sometime. 

“That mean I’m good?” Bakugo’s voice startled the homeroom teacher and he sighed as the blond stood a few feet away, clearly watching the therapist walk off. “Do I get to stay?”

“You knew I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.” The dark haired hero sighed as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Oguro had cleared Bakugo but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t have to keep a better eye on the teen. 

There was always a chance for relapse. 

“If I’m good then I want to talk to you about my work study.” Bakugo fell into step next to Aizawa and the teacher glanced at his student. That was new. 

“You wouldn’t let anyone talk to you about work study for weeks and now you bring it up?” The homeroom teacher felt a headache coming on. “What if the hero you want to work with won’t take you?”

“That won’t be a problem because I don’t want to work for a hero. At least, not one you’re thinking of.” The blond stopped walking forcing the teacher to stop as well as they stared at each other. Bakugo stood a little straighter, which only annoyed Aizawa because the blond had several inches on him now. “I want to go underground, that’s why I want to talk to you.”

Aizawa started to wonder if it was too late to expel the kid. 

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Reference to sexual relationships between teens  
> -Reference to pegging and other sexual act, between teens  
> -lots of swearing   
> -reference to underage character death, Kodai from class B. 
> 
> Thank you!! Feel free to leave a review!


	6. And I dream of what I need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Have you seen Midoriya?” Takeda asked Yachi, trying to make the question seem casual as he glanced around the gym. Midoriya had been quiet on the bus ride and they had just finished unloading everything into their rooms so that they could start practicing in the gym when it seemed like the teen vanished. 
> 
> “He was looking a little pale so Aya told him he could walk the grounds.” Yachi pointed over to the second year manager for Fukurodani, a tiny girl who looked even smaller when standing next to Lev. “Coach Nekomata said it would be fine too, but just told him to stay on the school grounds so there is no confusion with security.” 
> 
> “Thanks, I’ll go check on him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note:   
> I have to admit -- and this probably will not be a surprise to any of you -- writing a ton of characters is hard. Originally the idea I had for this story was going to be multiple little stories that all connected into a series but when I started putting it together, I recognized that there was a big chance that I would never actually finish the series. As a writer, it’s easier for me to wrap my head around finishing ONE BIG THING versus a bunch of little things and that’s how ‘No Wings’ came to be. It’s definitely more complicated than I thought it would be, and I’m sure I’m making mistakes along the way, but to be honest . . . I’m having a lot of fun with this story! 
> 
> The past few chapters have felt like a giant set up for to get all the pieces where I needed them to be so I really hope you continue to enjoy the story as we start actually getting into things. I hope when this is all over that people will have been entertained while reading this, I know that I’ll most likely just be relieved when it is done to be able to say that I was able to tell the story the way that I wanted to. Thank you to my reviewers!! This story is a lot and I know I’m not the strongest writer, but the fact that people are excited to see what happens next really makes me happy. 
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

“Have you seen Midoriya?” Takeda asked Yachi, trying to make the question seem casual as he glanced around the gym. Midoriya had been quiet on the bus ride and they had just finished unloading everything into their rooms so that they could start practicing in the gym when it seemed like the teen vanished. 

Takeda was worried about the envelope Asahi had passed off to Midoriya. 

“He was looking a little pale so Aya told him he could walk the grounds.” Yachi pointed over to the second year manager for Fukurodani, a tiny girl who looked even smaller when standing next to Lev. “Coach Nekomata said it would be fine too, but just told him to stay on the school grounds so there is no confusion with security.” 

“Thanks, I’ll go check on him.” Takeda waved over at Ennoshita to make sure the teen saw him. “Ukai wanted the team to focus on serving practice to start off and then your first match should start soon.”

“Got it!” Ennoshita smiled before turning to shout at the team. “You heard Takeda-sensei! Everyone start their serves. First years, I expect to see effort from you, too.” 

There was an enthusiastic ‘yes!’ at that and it made Takeda smile as he made his way out of the gym. The sky was clouded over which was unusual for the nice summer weather they had been having but Takeda was glad that they didn’t have to worry about rain canceling the camp since they were all inside. Though it might affect their food plans for tomorrow once the short training camp was over. 

Takeda forgot how big the grounds for Nekomata High were but it seemed like luck was in his favor as he finally found Midoriya leaning against one of the storage sheds near the back of campus. The teacher was about to call out before he realized the teen was crying, and Takeda was suddenly running over to make sure he was okay. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

Midoriya flinched at the teacher's voice, wiping his face before realizing the tears weren’t going to stop. Takeda watched as the teen seemed to curl in on himself and the teacher didn’t know what to do. 

“Midoriya, what happened?” Takeda placed his hand on the teen’s shoulder and Midoriya tried to take a breath but it sounded painful for the kid to even breathe. “Should I call the nurse-”

“She’s here.” Midoriya’s voice cracked and it made Takeda’s heart break as the teen glanced up at him. There was a crumpled piece of paper in Midoriya’s hand and Takeda helped Midoriya sit on the ground so that they were next to each other. It also helped him wrap his arm about the teen as Midoriya continued to catch his breath. 

“She’s here and she’s been here.” Midoriya sucked in another breath. “She must have been so scared.”

“Can I see?” Takeda motioned for the paper and Midoriya opened his hand for the teacher to take it before the teen put his head between his knees. Takeda rubbed Midoriya’s back, unsure of what to do next, still not sure what the green haired teen was talking about, so instead he unfolded the piece of paper to see a grainy image of a small girl with what looked like a small bump on her forehead. 

Was this little girl the one that Midoriya had been looking for?

The article looked old, and when Takeda glanced at the date he was more confused. That meant the girl would have gotten here 33 years ago, but that wouldn’t make sense. Why would Midoriya show up in 2013 if Eri was here in 1980? The teacher's eyes scanned the article and he found himself staring at the mention of a dead body before he glanced at the photo again. 

“Is this Eri?” Takeda kept his voice soft but it didn’t matter because Midoriya was suddenly rolling to his feet. The teen gave a shout of frustration as he kicked the tree nearby. Takeda got to his feet to grab the teen before he hurt himself but Midoriya just shoved him away and kicked the tree again. “You’re going to get hurt!”

“Eri was hurt!” Midoriya shouted, slamming his foot in the tree’s trunk with a frustrated growl before he turned to Takeda. “Eri was just a kid and she was here all alone! She’s been here this whole time but it doesn’t matter because I am too late. I promised to never let her go and when she needed me the most, she was all by herself in a world that isn’t like ours!”

“Midoriya-”

“There are no heroes here!” Midoriya’s voice echoed in the outside space, and Takeda worried that others would come if they heard the yelling. Midoriya kicked the tree one last time before crumbling against it. “There was no one to save her!”

Takeda reached out but the teen pushed back from the tree and slammed his foot against it one more time before he seemed to have calmed down. Takeda swore he heard the tree creak before the teacher grabbed the teen’s shoulders to make Midoriya look at him. “But you know she made it here, right? This article says she was alive. She could have been picked up like you were!”

“I don’t-” The teen started before Midoriya’s eyes seemed to fade as he stumbled against the teacher. Midoriya’s face was flushed and Takeda felt his forehead. The teen had worked himself up into a fever. 

The teacher pulled Midoriya against him, reaching for his cell phone in his back pocket to call Ukai before there was a snap and the teacher watched in horror as the large tree Midoriya had been hitting fell forward and onto the storage shed with a loud bang. Takeda had barely managed to pull him and Midoriya out of the way as the thing fell and now the older man stared at the destruction with his mouth wide open. He turned to the teen in his arms but Midoriya seemed asleep, as if the teen just passed out. 

That wasn’t-

Surely-

“What was that?” A loud voice shouted and Takeda was happy to see Coach Naoi and a security guard heading over to them. 

“A little help, please!” Takeda smiled before he glanced down at the sleeping teen. 

It wasn’t actually possible, was it? 

…  
…  
…

“You’ve had three days.” 

Aizawa felt his eyebrow twitch as Bakugo stared at him. Bakugo had been hounding him nonstop for three days about connecting with his old contacts from when Aizawa had been an underground hero and the teacher was nearing the end of his rope. “I told you that I reached out, if someone gets back to me then I will let you know but you should be looking at other options for your work study. This is your third year, the last chance you get to make a good impression on another agency.”

“I don’t want to work for an agency.” Bakugo frowned. “Why can’t I do this on my own?”

That was the last thing that Aizawa needed. 

“Bakugo, have you actually thought about if you can go underground?” The teacher grabbed the hair tie from his desk and pulled his hair back. The AC in the teacher’s lounge was down and it was getting stifling. “Not whether or not you want to but if you actually can do it?”

“What the hell-”

“You have been in the media repeatedly since you were in middle school. Your photo was plastered all over the televisions when you were kidnapped in your first year, you have done multiple interviews from your time working under Endeavor in your second year, and you have won the UA Sports Festival three years in a row.” Aizawa was just stating the facts as he stared at his student. “When I went underground, I was a nobody.”

“You will always be somebody to me, man!” Mic shouted from his desk and Aizawa had to turn and glare at the blond teacher. Mic just smiled and ducked away before Aizawa turned his attention back to Bakugo. 

“You are loud, in all meanings of the word.” Aizawa huffed. “Your personality is not suited for that kind of work.”

Bakugo clenched his fists before clicking his tongue. Aizawa waited for the blond to have an outburst but instead the teen just ground and stomped off. 

“He’s going to come back.” Thirteen’s voice echoed into the room and Aizawa sighed as he turned to her. He couldn’t tell if she was smiling or not in the costume but she still continued speaking to him. “Is no one getting back to you?”

“No one will take him.” Aizawa ran a hand through his hair. He had reached out to as many people as he possibly could and no one was willing to take the ticking time bomb of a hero under their wing. “I remember what it was like to be underground, even being near the kid could threaten the work they’ve been doing for months or even years. They don’t want to take the risk.”

“He’s not going to give up though.” Thirteen sighed, as if she was trying to sympathize with Aizawa and the homeroom teacher appreciated it. 

Aizawa pulled out his phone and let out a breath. “Well then, I won’t give up either.”

…  
...  
…

“We can always ask him later.” Kenma swiped on the game he was playing on his phone. They had a short break between sets and most of the other students had wanted to go see the tree that had fallen. Hinata had wanted Kenma to meet Izuku while everyone was distracted. “Shoyo, didn’t they say he had a fever? We should let him rest.”

“He’s probably bored out of his mind!” Hinata ran up ahead with a smile as they made their way up the stairs to where the players would be sleeping. “And you said you would look at his old phone, so we might as well get it from him now.”

“If you say so.” Kenma sighed before he bumped into Hinata. He glanced up to see the Karasuno coaches arguing down the hall and glanced at Hinata who was now trying to hide behind the wall so that they wouldn’t be seen. “I thought you said it was fine.”

“Shhh!” Hinata pulled Kenma over to him and the older teen sighed. 

“-me what happened?” That was coach Ukai’s voice, Kenma wondered if they should be listening in but it seemed like Hinata was determined to go see Izuku. There was a thunk and Kenma found himself curious about the noise so he leaned over to see the taller man doing kabedon to the older sensei. Coach Ukai kept talking. “What if he’s really sick? We should take him to a hospital.”

“We can’t.” The Takeda-sensei hissed back and it had Kenma looking at Hinata who seemed just as confused. 

“Sensei, I need you to tell me who this kid is.” Ukai’s voice was low, clearly trying to get across how serious he was. “He’s not your cousin and the way you’re acting tells me this isn’t a simple runaway situation. Who is he? Why can’t we take him to the hospital?”

“Not here, please-”

“Shoyo.” Kenma grabbed his friend's shirt and tugged the kid out in the hall as if they had just made it up the stairs. The teen didn’t want to eavesdrop anymore, it didn’t feel right for some reason. “Which rooms are you, oh, pardon us.”

“Oh, no worries!” Takeda-sensei shoved Ukai away from him before he smiled at the teens. “Karasuno boys are over here. Just be quiet if you’re grabbing something, Midoriya is sleeping right now.”

Both the men glanced at each other before Takeda walked off. Ukai glanced at the teens before sighing. “Don’t take too long, practice will start up again soon.”

“We got it.” Hinata pulled Kenma past the older man and they made it to the room where Karasuno would be staying. There was a futon laid out in the corner where clearly Midoriya was meant to be sleeping and Hinata tiptoed over to the sleeping form before perking up. “Are you okay?”

Kenma heard a small ‘hm’ and the teen put his phone away to walk over. He had seen Midoriya before in the background of photos Hinata would sometimes take while practicing but seeing the teen upclose was a bit different. 

For one, he had muscles. 

Kenma blinked as he stared at scarred up arms. Midoriya didn’t seem to mind the attention as the green haired teen glanced at Kenma before glancing over to Hinata. “I’m fine, sensei is just worried. I’ll rest a bit and head down.”

“Oh! This is Kenma!” Hinata wrapped his arm around Kenma’s shoulders and dragged the teen over so they were both leaning over Midoriya together. “He’s the one that said he could fix your phone!”

Midoriya sat up at that, the rag on his forehead falling onto the futon as he blinked up at Kenma. “Can you?”

“Sure. Probably.” Kenma rubbed the back of his head. “Was it modified or something? I’m pretty good with electronics but-”

“Kenma has his own youtube channel and vlog!” Hinata laughed and Kenma shoved his friend over. 

“That has nothing to do with technology.” Kenma turned his attention back to the teen who was now pulling a backpack over to the futon. It looked old, and had some buttons for Tokyo University and Kenma wondered if it belonged to Takeda-sensei. He glanced at the scarred arms and thought of the conversation they had heard from the older men in the hallway before glancing at Hinata who just seemed to be excited for his two friends to meet.

It probably wasn’t worth prying into. 

There was a wrinkled envelope, several notebooks, and a lot of writing supplies and random pieces of paper before the teen pulled out a phone and handed it over. It was longer and thinner than any phone Kenma had seen so far, and the teen didn’t recognize the label but he found himself tapping it a few times just to see. 

“It got wet so everything might be destroyed.” Midoriya smiled a bit but it seemed strained. “If you can save anything, even just one photo, I would be grateful.”

“I might have to take it apart.”

“That’s fine.” Midoriya turned back to his bag as he shut it. The teen shoved it away before glancing back up at Kenma. “Thank you.”

Kenma wanted to ask more about the phone but he noticed how the puffy the teens eyes were and thought better of it. He turned his attention to Hinata who was already on his feet with a smile. “Shoyo, we should get back.”

“Rest well, Izuku! Maybe you can come watch after lunch.” Hinata smiled brightly and Midoriya gave him a small nod before laying down again. Kenma made sure to shut the door behind them as they made their way out in the hall and was surprised to see Hinata frowning once the door shut. 

“You okay?” 

“He’s really nice, you know?” Hinata rubbed his fingers together as they made their way to the stairs. “But I don’t think any of us really know anything about Izuku.”

“What your coach said is bothering you.” Kenma glanced down the hall as he thought about it. “It must have been a surprise to learn he wasn’t Takeda-sensei’s cousin.”

“I’m sure it’s fine!” Hinata smiled brightly. “He’ll tell us when he can, we’re friends after all.”

“Maybe he’s part of the yakuza and there is a hit on you.” Kenma smirked as Hinata froze. “You saw those scars.”

“He learned of my skills and is trying to take me out before I change the future of volleyball?!” Hinata laughed as Kenma shoved him away. “Let’s head back, I don’t want Grumpyama to yell at us.”

“Oh wait.” Kenma pulled out his own phone and lifted it as he pulled Hinata close to him for a selfie. Kenma stuck out his tongue while Hinata looked like he was about to bite Kenma’s cheek and Kenma took the photo with a grin before text it to Kuro. “Wanted to show Kuro that you’re here.”

“Trying to get your boyfriend jealous?” Hinata snickered while Kenma stared at him boredly. 

“Kuro isn’t the jealous type.”

…  
…  
…

Todoroki sat on the steps outside the dorm. The hot summer air and humidity made his hair stick to the back of his neck but he didn’t mind as he stared up at the stars. 

If the therapist had mentioned his insomnia or anything else she had picked up from their talk to the teachers, no one had said anything to him. It had been weird after she left, as if a blanket had been lifted off of everyone’s doubts and worries and revealed to each other. Todoroki hadn’t realized how stiff they had gotten with each other until suddenly they were back to normal. 

Or as normal as they could be with Izuku gone. 

But Todoroki was still having nightmares of bright blues and a twisted smile. An image that would forever be engraved in his mind that seemed unable to let him go. Todoroki had talked to Deku about the incident, had told the teen everything because they had promised no more secrets between them once Todoroki had learned about All for One. Todoroki had even told his friend about the dreams, the nightmares filled with ash and screaming, but now . . . Deku was gone. 

Midoriya probably wasn’t coming back. 

“Todoroki!” Todoroki startled at Iida’s voice to see the class rep jogging over to him. The older teen clearly had been out for his morning run judging by the tight blue outfit that Iida was wearing. Todoroki let his eyes trace down the teens figure before glancing up to see Iida blushing. 

That had probably been too obvious. 

“I didn’t mean to disturb your workout.” Todoroki clasped his hands together as he stared up at the other teen. 

“You didn’t.” Iida stated and the class rep seemed to be arguing with himself for a moment before he marched over and sat next to Todoroki. They stared at each other for a few moments before Iida finally spoke. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t-”

“Shinso told me about the nightmares.” Todoroki did startle at that. He knew that Shinso was aware of them but even he hadn’t spoken to the purple haired teen about them. Iida seemed to realize Todoroki’s surprise and quickly added. “Only because he sneaks over to the 3-B dorms sometimes and feels that someone else should know. He probably only told me because I am the class rep but I have not-”

Maybe it was the summer air, or the fact that Todoroki was tired. Tired of doing whatever dance he had been doing with Iida for months now, tired of not being able to sleep for a full night, tired of everything being so hard . . . it could have been many things but Todoroki didn’t know which one made him reach out and take Iida’s hand. The older teen choked on his words and just stared at their interlocked fingers before looking up at Todoroki with wide eyes. 

“He told you because he knows I trust you.” Todoroki gripped their hands together a little tighter as he turned to look at the blue haired teen in the eyes. “Don’t sell yourself short, class rep.”

Iida’s face was bright red, Todoroki could see the blush clearly even in the darkness but it didn’t bother him. He felt lighter, for a brief moment, he felt like he might be able to sleep again and it had the teen frowning as he glanced at the ground. Their hands were still holding each other and the teen didn’t think they would let go any time soon. 

“I wasn’t able to save someone.” Todoroki was glad that Iida didn’t ask for more details as he took a breath. “I watched them die in front of me and I couldn’t save them. That’s what I dream about.”

There was more to it than that, a turmoil of guilt and relief that boiled into self-hated to the point that Todoroki could still smell burning flesh some days. The teen closed his eyes, his throat felt tight enough that he was sure if he said another word he would choke on it. 

There was a beat of silence before Iida squeezed his fingers and Todoroki turned to see Iida giving him a small smile. “Thank you for telling me.”

Todoroki didn’t think this would solve anything, he doubted telling Iida would actually let him sleep through the night, but maybe he could enjoy the small moment of peace he felt as he held the other teen’s hand. They stayed like that for a bit, watching as the sky slowly started to brighten. It was only when they heard Bakugo’s swearing in the kitchen, the blonde was always the first to wake up, that they got to their feet and went back inside. 

…  
…  
…

Midoriya opened his eyes and felt like his head was about to explode. He couldn’t believe he had actually fallen asleep but as he stared at the windows he realized it had to be past noon. 

“Oh, you’re up!” Deku turned to see Saeko at the doorway. The blond smiled brightly as she held a tray with what seemed to be sandwiches. “I heard you were resting so I thought I would bring food.”

“I feel much better after sleeping.” Deku lied as he got out of the futon. He found the tee shirt he had been wearing and put it over his tank top before he made his way over to where Saeko was sitting. The blond just took one look at him before grabbing his face with one hand. 

“Your eyes are puffy.” She sighed. “Bad breakup?”

Deku couldn’t help but give her a small smile at that. He wasn’t always comfortable around Saeko but he appreciated that she always just said what was on her mind. He never had to guess with her. “You can say it was something like that. I got some bad news.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Saeko handed him his sandwich before opening up hers. It was clearly something made by the team managers and Deku noticed that his sandwich had a lot of extra meat and wondered if Yachi was worried about him. Saeko took a bite before she continued to talk. “If you want, I can take you back home tonight. I was looking forward to drinking with Nekomata and Take-chan but I can take you back if you need some space. Hard to get that here.”

Deku appreciated the offer. 

He really did. 

He almost wanted to take her up on it but he also didn’t think being alone right now was what he needed. He needed a distraction, something to keep his mind off things until they were able to get back home and then he would . . . he would . . .

“Don’t be so glum, chum.” Saeko flicked Deku’s forehead. “Think about it and let me know. Though, let me know before we head to the bar, once I have a beer in my hands then you’re on your own.”

“That sounds fair.” Deku did laugh at that. He glanced at her before taking a bite of his sandwich. “Why are you here? I heard that last year you had to bring some students who failed their test but this year everyone made it.”

“Oh, I’m only here so that Take-chan and Nekomata don’t drink too much on their own.” Saeki smirked as she remembered something from the past. “Last year was amazing. I had never seen Take-chan drink like that. We all made it back to Nekomata’s office after dragging the useless coaches back to campus but I passed out around then. When I woke up, it was already almost time to leave the next day.”

“That doesn’t sound very healthy.” Deku actually thought it sounded dangerous. 

“You should worry about yourself first.” Saeko reached over and rubbed Deku’s cheek again. She never seemed shy about touching people and it had shocked Deku at first but then again, her brother was pretty much the same so it didn’t take long for Deku to get used to people touching him. “Tsk. Maybe we should get some ice to help with the swelling. I can ask-”

“I’m fine.” Deku grabbed her hand and pulled it from his face but made sure to squeeze her fingers as a sign of thanks for caring about him. The teen wasn’t sure he was worth the effort. 

He wasn’t worth anything anymore. 

“SAEKO-NEESAN!” The door to the room slammed open as Nishinoya and Tanaka stumbled into the room. Ennoshita was right behind them and the third years all smiled at Deku and Saeko. Nishinoya hugged Sakeo from behind with a grin. “Why didn’t you come to the gym? I could have shown you my newest move.”

“You were all shoving food in your face in the cafeteria when I got here, don’t pretend you were doing otherwise.” Saeko scoffed at the teens. “Anyway, I was having lunch with Izuku before you all interrupted it.”

“Sorry! I wanted to plug in my phone so it could charge this afternoon.” Ennoshita smiled and Deku smiled back before he felt a hand on his face and turned to see Tanaka looking down at him. 

Like brother, like sister. 

“Take-chan said you had a fever, you okay?” Tanaka seemed concerned before Nishinoya was glancing around him to look at Deku as well. 

Deku waved his hand off with a small smile. He didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to worry them. “I’m fine. It was-”

“The envelope Asahi gave you had bad news?” Nishinoya was now in Deku’s face staring down at the teen. “He wouldn’t tell me what was inside.”

“What envelope?” Tanaka and Saeko said at the same time before Deku started shaking his head. 

He needed space. 

He needed time to think. 

“Hey.” Ennoshita’s voice cut through the room before Deku couldn’t even find the words. The Karasuno captain grabbed his two teammates and started to pull them to the door before shoving them in the hall. The teen turned to Deku with a small smile before he bowed his head. “Sorry about that. Finish your lunch and if you feel up to it, come watch the matches. I have a feeling you will really enjoy watching Nekoma play.”

Deku opened his mouth to thank the teen but he couldn’t form the words. 

“Thanks, Chikara!” Saeko pat Deku on the shoulder as she smiled at the captain before he shut the door. She glanced at Deku again before she started to rub his back. “Sorry about that, I know we can be insensitive sometimes.”

“I-it’s o-okay.” Deku finally managed the words even if they sounded foreign to him. He smiled at the older woman, knowing it had to look forced but all he could do was smile. 

A hero should always smile. 

Some hero he was. 

They finished eating in silence, but Saeko didn’t seem to mind as she tapped on her phone or would play music for Deku. She tried to get him to take another nap but Deku didn’t want to be with his own thoughts just yet. They would head back home tomorrow so he just needed to wait it out and meet the other players. 

He didn’t need anything to worry about him. 

“Who’s the small fry?” Deku barely took two steps into the gym before a tall gangly teen was standing over him. Green eyes glared down at him and found himself taking a step back before there was an arm punching the tall teen in the stomach. Deku watched as the teen curled over and landed on the floor before glancing up to see Kenma glaring at the now rather pitiful giant. 

“Don’t mind Lev.” Deku was almost afraid Kenma was going to kick the teen on the ground but the bored teen just gave him a glance. “Glad you’re feeling better.”

“Thanks. I didn’t properly introduce myself, I’m Midoriya Izuku.” Deku held out his hand and the other teen took it with a small shake. 

“Kenma.” Kenma turned and pointed to where Hinata was. “Shoyo is talking with Akaashi in the far court.” 

Deku waved over at the Karasuno team and laughed when Hinata started jumping in the air. Deku gave Kenma a small nod as he walked over to his friends, glancing at the teen that was now swearing at Kenma from the ground before he shook his head and found himself walking over to Yachi. 

“Can I help?”

“Izuku!” Yachi smiled brightly as she shook her head. “Not yet. Once they start playing I would love to have you take notes, though.”

“Gladly.” Deku smiled before he realized that a rather beautiful teen from another team was staring at him. He had hooded eyes and pale skin, and Deku was suddenly curious of what he had done to get someone like this teen looking at him. 

“Figures Karasuno would collect another weirdo.” The teen sighed. 

“Akaashi, you’re one to talk.” Tanaka motioned towards what Deku assumed was Akaashi’s team. “Then again, your team seems rather plain without Bokuto around.”

Akaashi glared at Tanaka then but all the teens were distracted when Kenma walked over, the tall giant following him. “Shoyo, I need to borrow Kageyama.”

The Karasuno setter seemed surprised by this but walked over. Kenma pulled Akaashi and Kageyama towards him before turning around and making a peace sign so that Lev could take a picture of three of them. Everyone seemed startled by the flash but Kenma didn’t seem to mind as he took his phone back from Lev and started tapping on it. 

“Do I even want to know?” Akaashi muttered. 

“Kuroo told me to send him something inappropriate.” Kenma smirked. 

“What does that-” Kageyama started but Akaashi cut the teen off. 

“Don’t ask. We do not want to know how his mind operates.” Akaashi grumbled something and made his way back over to his team. Deku was confused by the whole scene but just turned his attention to Yachi who shrugged. 

“I’ve given up on understanding boys.” She laughed even as Tanaka pretended to be heart broken by her words. 

Honestly, Deku didn’t blame her. 

The teen took a breath before he grabbed the notebook Yachi had put down and glanced at the notes from the games he had missed. He would think about everything else later. For now, he could distract himself with this. 

…  
…  
...

“I was surprised that you wanted to intern with me, given your quirk.” Endeavor stared at the second UA third year in his office. The first one, Iida, had surprised Endeavor as well but only because Endeavor had been pleased the kid chose him. 

Iida seemed more like the type to try and partner with Best Jeanist than Endeavor. 

“I know that my quirk is inherently weak against yours but that is why I am here.” Tokoyami gave Endeavor a small boy. “I wish to make myself stronger.”

“Get strong by exploiting your weaknesses?” Endeavor nodded. He could deal with that sort of training, though he hoped the teen knew what he was signing up for. “If either of you slow me down, I will leave you behind. If you get in my way, I will dismiss you. Understood?”

“Yes.” Iida and Tokoyama bowed together and Endeavor got up from his desk. They were already in uniform which meant they had been properly trained the year before and Endeavor had to give the props for that. They at least appeared ready. 

He would have to see if they actually were. 

“Burnin!” Endeavor shouted and almost smirked as his lead poked her head around the door. “I’m going for a patrol.”

“I’ll hold down the fort, boss.” Burnin gave him a salute as she eyed the teens. “Careful boss, you have some good lookin’ interns this year. Don’t let them distract you.”

“Burnin.” Sometimes Endeavor regretted keeping her on but honestly, she was just too good at her job. 

“I’m joking!” Burnin laughed before she eyes Iida. “I feel like you’re going to be the Bakugo this year.”

“The Bakugo?” Iida’s voice was loud as she stared at her. 

“Ya know. The problem child.” Burnin laughed as she waved them off. “I miss him though, he always kept me on my toes. I wonder where he went this year.”

“Bakugo?” Iida still seemed shocked and Tokoyami started to talk the teen down. Endeavor just rolled his eyes at the whole interaction as he made his way out of the building. He knew the teens were behind him but he didn’t bother with instructions. 

They were third years, they needed to already know what to do or it was too late for them. 

“My, my, my.” Mirko’s voice caused Endeavor to stop as the Bunny hopped down from her perch in an alleyway. “I was just coming to see you but I didn’t realize you would have some ducklings following your lead.”

“I told you I was taking interns.” Endeavor pointed to Iida and then to Tokoyami. “Ingenium, but I’m sure you recognized him. You've worked with Idaten before. And this is Tsukuyomi, he was-”

“You were Hawks’ boy.” Mirko grinned widely, giving Endeavor a glance before she walked over to the bird. She looked small compared to them. Endeavor and Iida stood over six feet, with Tokoyami clearly pushing 5’10’’. The rabbit didn’t seem to mind as she leaned into Tokoyami’s space. “You trained under Hawks in your first year, both times, and then you worked with Ryukyu for the first half of your second year and then Kamui Woods the second half.”

“I’m honored that you know so much about me.” The teen spoke formally but Endeavor could tell that Tokoyami was on his guard around Mirko and the older man couldn’t blame the teen. 

Mirko glanced at Iida before she put her hand on his shoulder. “I was forced to work with your brother a few times, he was pretty entertaining. You’re the kid that nearly made Manual retire after his internship with you caused him so much stress, then you didn’t take another internship until your second year when you worked with the Wild Wild Pussycats for a whole year. What made you choose this stick in the mud?”

Endeavor sighed. 

“Mirko!” Endeavor glanced up to see another UA student running up the sidewalk. The kid was clearly out of breath as he finally made it over to them and his red uniform stood out as he glared at the rabbit hero. “I made it!”

“Endeavor, this is my intern Red Riot.” Mirko flicked the teen in the forehead as he tried to catch his breath before she smiled at Endeavor. “He needs to work on his speed but we’ll get there.”

“If you’re done with the introductions, I actually have something for you.” Endeavor pulled out the small usb Mirko had given him from his belt and handed it to her. “Narrowed it down to three names.”

If she was surprised she didn’t react, instead she gave Endeavor a salut before she glanced down at her intern. “Okay, Red, you ready to run back to the office? Try to keep up this time.”

“Yes!” The teen agreed and took off after her once Mirko started down the street. 

Endeavor almost felt bad for the kid. 

The rest of the patrol was quiet. There had been a small issue with a lost child but Iida’s quick thinking helped them find the girl's parents in no time and then the rest of the walk had been in silence. 

Which is why Endeavor should have known better than to expect a peaceful evening when he made it back to his agency. 

“Endeavor!” Fat Gum smiled brightly in the middle of Endeavor’s waiting room. “Perfect timing! I need to talk to you.”

“Sorry, Boss.” Burnin sighed. “I tried to threaten him but he wouldn’t budge.”

“Fine.” Endeavor glanced at the costumed people around Fat Gum. “Is this a group meeting or-”

“My sidekick Suneater.” Fat Gum pointed to the kid in the white cloak, before pointing to the two others. “And my two interns this year, Creati and Gale Force. They won’t be joining us but I wanted to show them the ropes while walking here.”

Endeavor honestly didn’t care. The man gave them a nod before he stomped to his office. He hoped Fat Gum took a hint and followed him otherwise he was going to slam the door shut and lock it. 

“Don’t worry, this will be quick.” Fat Gum smiled as he shut the door. The round hero sighed as soon as it was shut before turning to the flame hero. “I’ll cut to the chase, you need to stop looking for Hawks.”

Out of everything Endeavor had expected the hero to say, that had not been it. He had never really gotten along with Fat Gum, the jovial hero was too friendly to everyone around him. There was also the fact that Fat Gum and Mirko were a known on again/off again situation in the hero community, so the fact that Mirko and Endeavor were still being speculated about in the tabloids would have been enough to set Fat Gum off but instead . . . it was Hawks. 

Hawks. 

“No.” Endeavor wanted to keep this short. 

“No? That’s it?” Fat Gum looked like he couldn’t believe Endeavor but the older man didn’t care. 

“No. I will not stop looking for Hawks.” Endeavor went to his desk to take a seat. “Now, unless you’re about to tell me that you know how to contact Hawks and you’re willing to share that information, we have nothing else to discuss.”

Fat Gum stood there for a moment and Endeavor wondered if the hero actually knew how to contact Hawks or if there was something else that was making the hero warn Endeavor off his search. The older man shook his head as he turned on his computer and glanced to see the round hero leave his office. 

It didn’t matter. 

Endeavor wasn’t going to stop. 

...  
…  
...

Keishin Ukai was frustrated. 

He watched as Takeda-sensei spoke with Coach Naoi, and found himself frowning. He didn’t understand how the older man could act like nothing had happened, as if Midoriya hadn’t been acting weird all morning before the teen had gotten sick. Ukai had been genuinely concerned that something was wrong and had wanted to take the kid to the hospital but Takeda had refused. 

Ukai already knew that something was up with the kid. Had known everything Takeda had said about the ‘visiting cousin’ was a lie but Ukai had been willing to look away because he didn’t think Midoriya was dangerous. It actually seemed like the teen genuinely liked Takeda and Ukai had figured that if the kid was a runaway, fine, he wouldn’t press too much. 

Not being able to go to the hospital set off a lot of red flags. 

Ukai found his eyes moving to where his team was. Yachi was explaining something to Karasuno’s new first year manager, Kubo Chiyo, and Midoriya was standing next to them as he held a notebook for both girls to see. 

The coach ran his hands through his hair as he tried to straighten out his thoughts. He had thought Midoriya had been a runaway, and judging by the scars on the kid, the coach had been fine with letting it go. It had seemed like the teen was already 18, so he only needed to wait two more years before the kid could legally be on his own. The kid could probably already petition for it, but Ukai had wondered if there was something about his family that made it impossible. 

Was the kid in danger? 

Was Midoriya putting sensei in danger? 

“If you think too hard, you’re going to go bald.” Ukai sighed before he turned his attention to coach Nekomata who had decided to sit next to him while Ukai had been thinking. The geezer smirked before turning his attention to Takeda-sensei and Naoi who were now laughing at something. “If you keep glaring at your boyfriend, he’s going to leave you for a better man.”

“You’re just full of advice this afternoon, aren’t you?” Ukai huffed, fighting the blush on his cheeks. Nekomata had caught Ukai and Takeda in a compromising position last year and while the older man never teased Takeda, it was clear he saved it for Ukai when they were one on one. “He keeps trying to leave me but I’ll always find a way to get him back.”

“Oho, so confident.” Nekomata chuckled before giving Ukai a sharp look that had the younger coach sitting up straight. “I take it you finally told your family?”

Ukai had thought about it. 

He was honestly coming to terms with the idea but he was afraid of how Takeda would react if he brought it up. The coach never knew how Takeda would react when it came to family and it made Ukai want to avoid the subject for as long as possible. 

“We appreciate our privacy.” Ukai settled as an answer, watching how Takeda walked over to the other coaches. Clearly the teacher wanted to try and set up some more practice matches with the schools and Ukai wondered if all their free time was going to be filled with volleyball for the foreseeable future. 

He had been hoping to take Takeda out on a date. 

“Oh, looks like the match between Karasuno and Fukurodani is heating up.” Nekomata seemed pleased and that made Ukai worried as the coach turned his attention to his team. He felt bad that he had been distracted but was happy to seem they were going strong. “Your ace has a nice arm.”

“Tanaka has been practicing.” Ukai smirked as their ace spiker slammed the ball down. The MB Onaga seemed pissed as he glared at Tanaka but Karasuno all cheered once the whistle blew. “We still need to work on his serves.”

“Looks like your setter is serving next. Is his arm still a canon?” Nekomata hummed as he watched the students. 

“Are you looking for weaknesses?” Ukai smirked before he glanced up. “I’m afraid the Battle of the Garbage Dump is going to end the same way for you this year as it did last year.”

Ukai smirked as he watched Kageyama throw the ball in the air to do his jump serve. Still not as scary as Oikawa or Ushiwaka’s serves but still really strong. His form was basically perfect and Ukai found himself wondering just how far the kid would go as the teen slammed the ball. Ukai clicked his tongue as the ball was received by Fukurodani’s libero before the ball shot up in the air. It was going to go out and Ukai found himself watching, almost as if in slow motion, as the ball proceeded to beam Midoriya straight in the face. 

“Izuku!” Hinata’s voice echoed in the gym as they all watched the teen hit the ground with a thud. 

…  
…  
…

_The beeping was the first thing that woke Bakugo up, the second was the pain. His body screamed at him and it was all he could concentrate on as his world slowly came together. The world was fuzzy but he could feel the bandages wrapped around him, wrapped around his entire body. He probably looked like a mummy, his mind helplessly thought as he pictured Aizawa after the attack on USJ._

_Aizawa-sensei._

_Bakugo felt his eyes open as he forced himself to take a deep breath, ignoring the pain as he tried to make himself more alert. There were drugs in his system, something he didn’t like fogging his mind, but he needed to find his teacher._

_Was Aizawa okay? Had the teacher managed to escape Shigaraki or was it too late? Where was Rock Lock and Manual? Bakugo felt like he could remember glimpses of them as they yelled at each other on the ground, or was it in the air? What about Ryukyu? Gran Tarino? Bakugo’s chest squeezed tightly as he tried to take another breath._

_Deku._

_Where was Deku?_

_“De-” Bakugo’s insides felt like they were on fire. He could taste blood and wondered if he was bleeding out as the memories continued to play across his mind. He needed to find Deku. He couldn’t lay down like this until he saw-_

_“Kacchan!” There was movement and suddenly Deku was leaning over him. The teen had tears in his eyes as he stared down at the blonde. “I’m here, Kacchan. Calm down, you’re hurt. You’re really hurt so you need to-”_

_Who did this fucking nerd think he was? Telling Bakugo what to do. The blond reached up, his arm clearly broken and pissed that he was moving but Bakugo pushed through so that his fingers could touch the little shits face._

_Deku._

_Deku was alive._

_Clearly not understanding what Bakugo was trying to do, or maybe no caring, Deku grabbed Bakugo’s hand and smiled. Deku was bandaged up too, Bakugo could see where his head wound was still bleeding and wondered if the teen should be up and out of bed. It was clear that Deku didn’t seem to care as he pressed Bakugo’s hand against his cheek and smiled, the split lip somehow making the smile seem even better._

_“You're alive.” Deku whispered, tears still rolling down his cheeks. “You’re alive, Kacchan. We’re alive.”_

_Bakugo wanted to tell Deku to worry about himself but his throat felt too raw and his chest hurt so he settled for moving his thumb against the teen’s cheek. He wanted to ask about Shigaraki, All for One, who was still alive, who died -- everything, Bakugo had so many questions rolling through his mind but they all seemed to fade away as Deku cried against his hand._

_“We’re alive.”_

Memories were a shitty thing, Bakugo decided as he ran through the trees. He would rather have the real thing in person than foggy memories to fall back on. 

The teen growled as he continued to run. All his classmates had their work-studies to go to and Bakugo had officially been banned from the teacher’s lounge. The teen had taken running longer in the mornings since he kept waking up earlier and earlier and he needed to stay busy. He didn’t regret passing down all the work-study opportunities, hell, Bakugo figured Endeavor probably respected it, but sometimes Bakugo wondered what he was doing. 

Deku was still missing. 

“Ah, Young Bakugo!” The blond teen nearly tripped on his next step as he turned to see All Might jogging towards him. “I usually don’t see you here this early.”

Which was fair, Bakugo usually liked to hit the gym first before he cooled down with a run but the blond didn’t want to mess with weights unless Kirishima was there to spot and the red nuisance had been run ragged the past two days so Bakugo had decided to let his friend sleep in. The blond turned to stare at the older man for a moment before he frowned. “How do you do it?”

“Pardon?” All Might seemed confused and it made Bakugo want to blast the older man but the teen just growled as he stared up at the morning sky. 

“How the fuck do you keep moving on?” Bakugo turned his gaze to the retired hero, unsure of why he suddenly wanted to ask the older man this but the blond couldn’t wrap his head around the idea. “How do you keep living knowing that he’s out there? How am I supposed to keep this bullshit up when all I want to do is drop everything and find him?”

Bakugo didn’t know if he was making sense but he always felt like he was one wrong step from boiling over. Deku was out there and Bakugo was going to class? Deku was somewhere, missing, and Bakugo was winning in the Sports Festival?

“How is any of this supposed to matter anymore?’ Bakugo grabbed his shirt, honest to god hoping for some honesty from the older man as he stared at All Might. “What the fuck are we doing here?”

The wind rustled the tree leaves and All Might stood still for a moment, his blond hair being blown back out of his face as the two stared at each other. 

“I have experience.” All Might’s words were soft, Bakugo was almost afraid he misheard but he saw the frown on the older man’s face as the man looked genuinely sorrowful. “We have no other choice but keep on living our lives because that is what they would want.”

“But-”

“I’ve lost mentors, I’ve lost friends, loved ones, and even with Young Midoirya, I’ve lost family.” Bakugo glanced down at that, no one ever questioned that All Might viewed Deku like a son. The older man sighed as he turned his attention to the sky. “I keep living my life for them, because it is what they would want me to do.”

Bakugo took a breath. 

“The only problem with what you’re telling me, All Might, is that the people you are thinking of are dead.” Bakugo clenched his fists before he let them go. He took another breath and started stretching his legs again, getting ready to continue his run. He glanced at the older man who was staring at him.

“If . . .” All Might seemed to pause before he continued. “If there was a chance that someone I loved was still in danger, was still out there, I would do everything in my power to find him.”

Bakugo wondered which loved one All Might was talking about and glanced away briefly. He gave the older man a nod before he turned to start running again. 

Maybe All Might thought Deku was gone, or maybe the old man just was frozen by inaction for a student he never thought he would lose, but Bakugo wasn’t going to stay still. The teen glanced at his watch to see it was till an early hour and changed course. 

He might not be allowed in the teacher’s lounge but that didn’t mean he couldn’t visit them at their dorms. 

…  
…  
…

“Please don’t be dead.” Tanaka lifted Midoriya’s head as the teen blinked up at him. There was a read mark on the teen’s forehead and Tanaka could actually feel a bump on the back of his head from where he had hit the floor. “We need to get you to the nurse’s office.”

“I’m fn.” Midoriya slurred and Tanaka was really worried then.

“I’ll take him.” Takeda-sensei was already helping Midoriya to his feet, and the teen seemed to get his senses together once he was upright. Tanaka reached over to grab the other side of Midoriya but then the first year, Takaya was there. 

“I’ll help senpai, since I’m on the bench this match.” Tanaka watched as they took Deku away, even as the teen kept telling everyone he was fine. 

“First a tree tries to take him out and now Akaashi’s bad receive.” Lev laughed, startling Tanaka. “Poor guy can’t get a break.”

“Do you want to practice receives with me, Lev?” Akaashi’s voice caused the tall Nekoma player to freeze. Akaashi gave Tanaka a nod. “Is he okay?”

“Izuku will be fine! He’s stronger than all of us!” Hinata smiled brightly as he kept bouncing the volleyball in the air. “You’ve seen those arms, I bet he fights crime at night or something. Like Batman!”

“How can someone so stupid be so physically gifted.” Kageyama sighed next to Hinata and Tanaka found himself laughing as the two second years started to try and hit each other. 

“Okay, okay.” Coach Ukai got everyone’s attention as he clapped his hands. “Let’s continue the match. Karasuno, you better not lose this set.”

“Yes!” Tanaka yelled back with his team as they got back in position. 

He would check on Midoriya later, maybe apologize for not spending more time with the teen. Not many people knew Midoriya’s story so Tanaka wondered if the teen had been feeling alone all this time. 

“Get your head in the game.” Tanaka froze as he felt Ennoshita’s hand on the top of his head. The captain was smiling at him. “Midoriya will be okay.”

“I’m ready!” Tanaka laughed as they all waited for the whistle to blow. Kageyama was serving again and Tanaka was ready for it to come back over.

He was ready for anything. 

…  
…  
…

Iida groaned as he finally made it back to the dorms from another shift at the Endeavor agency. He felt a little better since Tokoyami was currently lying face down on the floor behind one of the couches. 

“That bad?” Iida was still trying to decide if he should sit down or just fall into the couch cushions when he realized that Todoroki and Momo were watching them from the kitchen. The teen blushed as he settled for falling down so that he could hide a little quicker. 

So embarrassing. 

“I saw you on the news this morning.” Momo's voice sounded optimistic and Iida just groaned, laughing at how Tokoyami echoed his response. 

“Hey.” There was a hand in his hair and it made Iida turn to see Todoroki giving him a small smile. “You both looked really cool in the videos.”

There was movement and Iida could see Momo joining them in the sitting area. She had a sports drink with her, something she had gotten addicted to after interning with Mt. Lady last year. Iida turned his attention back to Todoroki, knowing that his cheeks were pink as he got up to make room for the other teen to sit next to him on the coach. Todoroki just smirked and sat next to him. 

“There is no way we looked cool.” Tokoyami groaned from the floor before he sat himself up so that his back was against the coach. “The villain’s quirk made us do everything backwards. If it wasn’t for Iida’s quick reflexes, he would have gotten away.”

“If it wasn’t for you and Dark Shadow, I would have fallen off the building several times. It was hard enough to see when using my quirk, doing it backwards is a new challenge.” Iida let himself lean into Todoroki and felt himself relax when the other teen didn’t move away. Iida blinked a few times as the conversation caught up with him. “There was video?”

“Yeah!” Suddenly Uraraka was on the other side of Iida as she smiled brightly. Iida had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what she was about to say and he was right. “Someone caught Endeavor throwing both of you up from the ground to the top of the building to take care of the villain who had run off while he handled the ones on the ground.”

Oh. 

That could not have looked cool at all. Iida hadn’t even known what Endeavor’s plan was before suddenly he was being tossed in the air while the older hero yelled at him. Iida covered his face with his hands and was only relieved a little bit when Todoroki leaned against him as if to apologize for his father’s actions. 

“But still, you’re both a little worse off then I thought you would be.” Momo hummed, as she stared at them. “Did you fight another villain at the end of your shift?”

“No. The reverse quirk couldn’t be stopped, it had a timer on it so we had to do the rest of our patrol backwards and then Endeavor decided that it was a good time for training and wouldn’t let us stop until the quirk finally stopped.” Tokoyami glanced over to where Todoroki was. “Endeavor is to be respected and feared.”

“The fact that he gave you orders means he recognizes your abilities.” Todoroki shrugged. “If he thought you weren’t worth the time he would have just left you behind and taken care of everything himself.”

There was a beat before Tokoyami sighed. “That only makes my mind feel better, my body will need more time.”

As much as Iida didn’t want to leave his spot on the couch, he knew he needed to get up and shower. He should probably do some stretches as well to make sure he wasn’t sore for classes tomorrow. “I’m going to change. Who has dinner duty tonight?”

“I do!” Uraraka smiled brightly. “It’s me, Ayoama, and Ojiro. We’re planning to make pasta.”

“That sounds great.” Momo smiled and Iida agreed as he got up. He was surprised when Todoroki got up as well and found himself glancing at the teen as Todoroki followed him to the boys elevator. “Heading up?”

Todoroki waited until the doors closed before the teen let his fingers slide against Iida’s, as if to ask permission to hold his hand. “I have some paperwork Best Jeanist wants me to read before my next shift, I figured there was time before dinner.”

Iida kept their fingers pressed against each other as he stared at the other teen. 

Was he hoping for too much?

Was he reading too much into this?

The elevator dinged at them and the doors opened to the second floor. Todoroki glanced at Iida, their hands slipping away from each other as the teen took a step out into the hall and Iida didn’t realize what he was doing until suddenly the doors closed behind him and it was just the two of them standing there together. 

“I thought you were going to change?” Todoroki’s voice was light and curious and Iida couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Can I kiss you?” The class rep knew his face was red as he stared at the teen across from him. They were still in the hall but Iida didn’t care as he reached forward to grab Todoroki’s hand. “Would it be okay if I-”

“Yes.” Todoroko’s cheeks had a slight pink hue to them and Iida couldn’t believe this was happening. He took a stop forward and pressed his lips against the younger teen’s, closing his eyes as Iida finally got to kiss Todoroki. 

It was just a few seconds, and Iida was ready to pull away and go upstairs but as he was pulling away he suddenly felt hands grabbing the neck of his shirt. Todoroki shoved Iida back so that the class rep’s back was against the closed doors of the elevator before the short teen pressed another kiss against Iida’s lips. 

Iida found himself slipping down the door so that they were of equal heights while Todoroki deepened the kiss. Iida felt the teen’s teen against his lips as he opened his mouth wider before suddenly there was a tongue pressing against his and Iida’s hand wrapped around the back of Todoroki’s neck to bring the teen even closer to him as his free hand gripped the wall for support. 

This was more than a kiss. 

Todoroki’s leg pressed between Iida’s own and the class rep was suddenly very conscious of another part of his body. Iida was about to pull back to catch his breath, to let both of them catch their breaths, but suddenly there was a ding and the elevator doors were sliding open. Iida’s knees were too weak to stabilize at that moment and he found himself falling back, accidentally taking Todoroki with him as they couldn’t untangle in time before they landed on the floor of the elevator with a thump. 

“Oh. Class Rep, this is a new side of you.” Shinso stared at the both of them boredly before walking out of the elevator. “I’ll give you both some privacy.”

Iida didn’t know what to say but he knew his face had to be beet red. He glanced at Todoroki who was still on top of him and they both had a moment to see how ridiculous everything was before Todoroki let out a small laugh and got to his feet. “You should probably go change now.”

“Yeah . . .” Iida couldn’t help but smile as Todoroki helped him to his feet. “I’ll see you . . . at dinner?”

“Hm.” Todoroki confirmed and they just eyed each other for a moment before the elevator dinged again and Iida found himself being taken to his own floor. 

…  
…  
…

“I’m fine.” 

Deku didn’t know how he got in this situation but it was dinner time and somehow the teen was surrounded by all the team managers when he sat down for food. The girls, and one boy, all made sure to put food from their plates onto his own and ask him if he needed anything. It would have been nice if Deku wasn’t getting glared at by some of the members of the other teams for having his own harem. 

“Don’t mind them! Yachi told us how helpful you’ve been.” Miyanoshita, the third year manager of Ubugawa smiled. “I was worried that she would be overwhelmed without Kiyoko but it’s clear that she’s running a tight ship with her team.”

“I miss Kiyoki-senpai.” Yachi sighed. “She was so beautiful.”

“She was!” The managers laughed, even if the first years didn’t seem to understand. Deku sighed as Yachi placed more rice into his bowl for him. 

“I promise, I’m fine.” He smiled at her and she just nodded before putting more food on his plate. “I don’t need this much!”

“HEY! HEY! HEY!” 

It seemed like the whole cafeteria went silent except for Akaashi who had dropped his tray of food as a tall spikey haired teen walked in. There were other people behind him but Deku honestly didn’t really notice them as the spikey haired teen smiled at everyone. “Why is everyone sitting down! Let’s play!”

“Bokuto-”

“That’s Bo-”

“What is he-”

The cafeteria was in an uproar, and Deku watched as the coaches got up to shake the teen’s hand. He turned to Yachi who was smiling happily. “That’s Bokuto-san, he played for Fukurodani last year and is now a professional since he graduated.”

“A pro?” Deku glanced up and could believe it, the teen seemed larger than life. 

“Wow, Bokuto stole all the glory.” A bored voice rang out from behind the other teen before an arm wrapped around Bokuto’s shoulders to look at everyone. His hair was spiked to the side and even though he was about the same height as Bokuto, he was clearly more lean. “I came to see how all my kohai were doing, even brought some presents and this is-”

“Kuro.” Kenma’s voice was soft but it made the older teen smile before he shoved away from Bokuto to go sit with Kenma and Hinata. Hinata was waving at Bokuto as if the other teen wouldn’t be able to see him and Kageyama was clearly getting annoyed by the action. Deku found himself laughing at it all before he realized two more people were standing at the entrance. 

“We should have stayed on campus.” A rather pretty teen with silver haired laughed to the other pretty teen with long black hair. Deku already felt uncomfortable just being in the same room with them. 

“SUGA-SAN! KIYOKO-SENPAI!” Yachi was out of her seat and running to the other two just as the rest of Karasuno seemed to realize who the other visitors were. Yachi still got there first and was hugging Kiyoko tightly as the other woman hugged her back. 

Deku couldn’t even keep up with everything after that. He found himself back in the gym with a notebook as he watched Bokuto slam the ball down with a spike. Saeko and the coaches had disappeared to go drinking so now the teams were gathered together to mix and match as they all tried to play against Bokuto and Kuro. 

“Akaashi, please!” Bokuto was bowing to the setter for Fukurodani and Deku was confused why the pro would even have to ask the setter to join the match. 

“Akaashi is mad because Bokuto should be getting ready for his first pro game next week.” Kenma was sitting beside Deku as the other teen played a game. “You can ignore them, Akaashi likes to play hard to get but he’s weak to Bokuto.”

Deku wondered if Kenma was talking just about volleyball or more with a statement like that but the teen just shrugged as the match was figured out. Akaashi agreed to set but not for Bokuto, so now Kageyama was on a team with Bokuto, Kuro, Tsukki, Lev, and Ogana. The other team was Akaashi, Hinata, Suga, Tanaka, Chigaya, and Inuoka. 

The liberos were pumping up the first years to watch the match but it seemed like a few had managed to sneak off to go to bed or just relax. 

Deku found himself entranced with the matches. 

Bokuto seemed to be performing for the world, his moves were smooth and it was clear that the more he spiked the more Akaashi’s eyes would follow him. Kuroo seemed to be good at egging on the other team, knew just what to say to tick people off, and Deku even saw Kenma smirking when Kuroo managed to shut down one of Hinata’s spikes. Suga was every bit the senpai that Tanaka had described. While he wasn’t as flashy as the others, he seemed to make any team he was put one operate smoother. 

“Only Bokuto is a pro?” Deku was curious about why. 

“It’s a lot harder to go pro than you think. Bokuto has that extra something.” Ennoshita was now sitting on the other side of Deku as they watched the match continue. “Suga is in college to be a teacher and Kuroo . . .”

“Business.” Kenma muttered and Ennoshita chuckled at that. 

“I could see Kuroo running something shady.” Ennoshita laughed and even Kenma smiled at that. Deku figured he would have to get to know the other teen more to understand. 

They were about to start one more round before suddenly Yachi was leaning into the gym to yell at the boys. “Close up! Coaches said the visitors can stay if they find their own beds but security is on their way to lock up.”

Deku laughed at the groan of disappointment before he got to his feet. Everyone started going their own ways and Deku smiled as he watched Kuroo walk off with Kenma. Everyone was trying to make space for the guests and Deku figured he should probably go back to the room but for some reason he wasn’t tired. 

At least, not yet. 

Maybe it was the sleep from early, or the fact that his head had finally stopped hurting but the teen found himself walking to where he had seen some steps so that he could sit down and enjoy the night air. 

“Are you up for some company?” Tanaka’s voice startled Deku but the teen actually found himself happy to have a friend as he nodded at the other teen. They found the steps quickly enough and both sat down with a smile. Deku noticed a small blush on Tanaka’s cheeks and couldn’t help but be curious. 

“Your cheeks are pink.” Deku teased, it felt weird that he was able to do so after a day like today but Deku still pushed through. 

“Oh, ha!” Tanaka rubbed his cheeks as if he was trying to rub the blush out before he smiled. “I asked Kiyoko to go out with me but she told me to ask again next year.”

“You’re happy that she turned you down?” Deku didn’t understand Tanaka sometimes. 

“I’m happy that she gave me permission to keep asking.” Tanaka smiled at Deku as if sharing a secret. “I plan to marry her.” 

Deku’s face went red at that and Tanaka started laughing. “Does she know about your plans for marriage?”

“Considering I told her my intentions in my first year, I hope so.” Tanaka slapped his cheeks a few times before smiling. “Need to show her how serious I am. I’m sure you understand.”

“Me?” Deku was already shaking his head. “I don’t have anybody like that here.”

There was a beat before Tanaka turned so that he was facing Deku. They stared at each other for a bit before Tanaka asked, “What about where you’re from, that place, do you have somebody like that over there?”

Deku found himself shaking his head. He didn’t want to presume, there was no point. He didn’t need to have false hope about a person he was never going to see again. 

“There could have been.” Deku sighed, before he shrugged. “But it doesn’t matter much now, does it?”

“Oh . . .” Ryu rubbed his head a bit. “I guess not, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry.” Deku sighed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the article about Eri. He had tried to leave it in his bag but then he had become afraid that he would lose it so now he was carrying it with him. Tanaka had been the one to introduce him to Asahi, and had been the one to try and encourage him with his search, it was only fair that he updated the teen as well. “I have confirmation that Eri made it to this world.”

Tanaka sat up at that and took the article from Deku when the teen handed over it. Tanaka was clearly trying to read it in the dark light and having issues so Deku decided to save him some time. “She got here in 1980, washed up on a beach with a dead body.”

“What?”

“I think the body was the nomu, the uh, villain I told you about. I don’t think it could live without it’s quirks and since quirks don’t work here . . .” Deku rubbed his hands together. “But this means that I failed her. She was all alone in a place where she had no one, in a place without heroes to help her, and I wasn’t there for her.”

“But look at her.” Tanaka turned the article so that Deku could see the grainy picture. “She’s alive.”

“But she’s alone!” Deku couldn’t get past the thought of her being so scared after everything she had already been through. 

“Midoriya, she’s alive.” Tanaka gleaned at the picture again and smiled at the image of the little girl. “If you had failed her then she would have ended up in the hands of the villains, but she didn’t. She might not be home but I don’t think our world is too bad. I know this isn’t what you wanted, and I know this might seem like the worst possible outcome but what little I do know about your world . . . I’m happy to know she made it here and wasn’t being held hostage by the bad guys in your world. If she was going to have to live in a world without you there to protect her, since you ended up in my time, I’m glad she came here.”

Deku blinked, he could understand why Tanaka was saying this. Could even understand why it made sense, but then the green haired teen thought of Aizawa and Mirio, about All Might, and his own mom, everyone who loved Eri as if she was their family. 

It would have been better if she had been with them. With her family. 

“I probably made things worse.” Tanaka groaned as he handed the picture back over and Deku was already shaking his head. 

“No, you didn’t. Thank you.” Deku smiled a bit before he glanced at the photo. “Now that I know she made it here, I can try to find her again. Even if she’s lived a lifetime without me, I want to know that she’s okay. That she’s happy.”

Tanaka grabbed Deku’s wrist to make sure the other teen was looking at him as he smiled. “And we will help you, just rely on us a bit more, okay?”

Deku felt tears start to form at those words and found himself nodding as Tanaka laughed at him. Tanaka asked him questions about his friends in the other world and Deku was happy to talk about everyone. His classmates and the heroes he met along the way. If his voice caught every now and then when he was saying a specific person's name, Tanaka never called him out on it. 

Instead they shared stories. Tanaka told Deku about growing up in an orphanage and about discovering volleyball. Deku told the other teen about growing up quirkless and his love for All Might, and finally getting to meet the hero in real life. 

They stayed up talking to the point where coach Ukai found them when the older man came outside for a smoke. He didn’t seem angry but he made sure to shoo them both to bed. 

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Todoroki/Iida kissing   
> -reference to dead characters, loss and grief   
> -Burnin is inappropriate  
> -Kenma is inappropriate  
> -Bakugo swears a lot 
> 
> Reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated!


	7. Somewhere after midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ennoshita didn’t have a chance to tease Midoriya about it because the cafeteria was in chaos as soon as they got there. 
> 
> “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE PRACTICE THIS MORNING?” Kuroo was shaking Bokuto as the bigger teen hugged Akaashi’s waist. “You told me your schedule was clear!”
> 
> “Nothing is more important than Akaashi!” Bokuto seemed like he wasn’t going to let go of the Fukurodani setter. Akaashi was glaring at Kuroo while the coaches were yelling at each other to see who could get the pro player back to his team the fastest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:   
> This chapter was a bit hard to write because I got out of the mindset for a few days but I'm really happy with where it ended. Things are finally moving forward so I'm excited to start bringing things together and maybe even finishing some story lines so that I can move on to the next one and just keep the ball rolling. Chapter warnings at the bottom contain some spoilers but do give accurate warnings for things people might want to be be warned about, but I don't think there was anything in this chapter that was like 'BIG WARNING' so I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Author’s Note:   
> Sorry for the bit of the delay with posting. I'm trying to keep it to at least one chapter a week but I had to do some traveling last week and it threw me for a loop (because it had been so long!). Hope everyone is staying safe and staying healthy. New episodes of the Haikyuu!! season started and it will definitely keep me grounded as I hopefully finish this story this year. 
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

“Rumi, it’s bad enough that you saw confidential information at my place but-” Fat Gum needed a vacation. He needed to stress eat. He needed something to make him feel better about the woman that was currently lazing on his bed as if it was her own. 

“Taishiro, I didn’t steal anything from you.” Mirko sighed. Her long ears twitched as she sat up in the bed. The shirt she had borrowed from Fat Gum was obviously too big and fell off her shoulder easily. 

“Then how did you know all that stuff about the crime scenes?” Fat Gum wanted to sigh as she ran his hands through his hair. He had been working secretively with the police and with the HPSC to investigate a series of strange murders, not even his staff knew about it, but somehow Mirko had shown up at the same crime scene he was supposed to be looking over. 

“I already told you.” She huffed, clearly getting impatient. “I’ve been helping Endeavor out and our investigations just happened to cross over. Stop acting like I’m using you and come back to bed.”

Endeavor. 

Fat Gum slumped in his chair as he stared at the ceiling. Fat Gum hadn’t asked Mirko more about what she was helping Endeavor with because he hadn’t needed to. The flame hero was up to something and had been for a while, it was a widely known secret that Endeavor had taken Hawks disappearance as a personal affront. 

But Fat Gum needed Endeavor to step away. 

There were too many moving parts right now and the more that Fat Gum found out, the more he was sure that anyone who crossed paths with Hawks was in danger. Right now, all the evidence was pointing to Hawks possibly being the one who put those people in danger but Fat Gum wasn’t ready to believe that. 

Not yet. 

Fat Gum startled when a well muscled leg kicked his chair and he found himself looking at Mirko, in his oversized t-shirt, as she glared at him. “Are you jealous? Is that what this is?”

Oh. 

Fat Gum smiled as he started shaking his head. “I know you well enough by now to know you’re not shacking up with Endeavor.”

“Is that right? Why is it that you know me so well?” Mirko, for a rabbit, looked threatening when she smiled and it made Fat Gum blush as she leaned into his space. 

“Because you’re shacking up with me.” Fat Gum murmured and he only had a second before he was pulled out of his chair and shoved towards the bed. 

“Damn right.” Mirko tripped him so that he fell face first into the mattress and the taller hero just groaned as Mirko climbed over him with a smile. “Now stop thinking the worst about the damn heroes in the world and get back to work keeping me company. Bunnies get lonely, you know.”

Fat Gum highly doubted Mirko had ever been alone in her entire life. 

But still . . . he couldn’t help but worry about her. Fat Gum had a feeling that Endeavor tended to end up over his head and the hero didn’t want Mirko getting dragged into it. He would continue working with the police and hopefully he would be able to be there in case either Endeavor or Mirko needed his help.

It was all he could do at this point. 

....  
…  
...

Ennoshita took a deep breath as he leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. He had woken up before everyone else and had wanted to go on a jog before their last day at the weekend camp started and even after all of that he still felt anxious. 

Tanaka and Midoriya had stayed out late and Ennoshita hadn’t been able to sleep until they both had stumbled into the room. The captain sighed as he glanced at his watch to see he still had time before breakfast and wondered if he had time to take a shower. 

Was there a point in taking a shower before practice?

“Water?”

Ennoshita turned his head to see Kiyoko holding a water bottle out to him. It was like a flashback to last year when she was still the manager of the team and he couldn’t help but smile as he nodded and took it from her. She was clearly already dressed for the day, Ennoshita turned away to glance out at the Nekoma campus as he took a drink. 

Ennoshita had never been close to Kiyoko but they had never had any issues. She was beautiful, smart, capable and above all else, someone Tanaka was head over heels for. Ennoshita respected her, liked her, and would most likely be jealous of her until the end of time. 

“Sorry for the chaos yesterday.” Her voice was soft and Ennoshita turned to wave her off before he paused as she stared at him. She smiled softly. “I just happened to be with Koshi when he texted about coming by. We should have put more thought into your goals and not into what we wanted. I’m sorry.”

He suddenly had a feeling she was apologizing for something else entirely and Ennoshita didn’t want to think about it. 

Ennoshita came out to the team at the beginning of his second year. No one had ever said anything, of course they wouldn’t, not with a team with Nishinoya who had been out and proud in his highschool debut. He remembered distinctly how Tanaka’s behavior had never changed around him but of course it hadn’t because Tanaka was never going to be as conscious of Ennoshita as much as Ennoshita was of him. 

Not with Kiyoko around. 

“Did you come by to see Tanaka? Will you finally let him take you out on a date?” Ennoshita took another sip from the bottle before turning to her. She watched him back just as carefully before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. 

“I came here to see everyone . . . and, I told him to ask me again next year.” Her voice was low, as if she wasn’t telling him what he had known all along.

She loved Tanaka just as much as Ennoshita did. 

Kiyoko Shimizu was a lot of things, but she wasn’t callous with people’s hearts. When the manager had learned of Yachi’s one-sided crush, she had taken time to make their friendship stronger so that when Yachis’ confession (Ennoshita was still impressed with the girl’s bravery) had come, they had been able to part even better friends because of it. Kiyoko wouldn’t be stringing Tanaka along unless the feelings were mutual. She was too good for that. 

“I wish . . .” Ennoshita started but stopped before he could say the words. He wished she would just let Tanaka take her on a date now? Just pull the bandaid off and make it happen? 

“I don’t want him to make life decisions based on what he thinks will happen.” Kiyoko reached out and grabbed Ennoshita’s hand, startling the teen. Ennoshita felt his face heat up as they stared at each other but thankfully he didn’t have to wait long for what she wanted to say. “Do your best.” 

Ennoshita bit his bottom lip at those words. Do his best? As a third year? As a captain? Was this her telling him to confess to Tanaka before it was too late?

“I plan to confess after we make it to Tokyo.” Ennoshita realized he was gripping her hand tightly and loosened his hold. “I plan to graduate with no regrets.”

They let their hands drop and Kiyoko smiled at him. “If Tanaka accepts your confession, I’ll support you both.”

Ennoshita kind of hated how amazing she was. She wasn’t going to tell Ennoshita he didn’t have a chance, but instead let him know that she was still in his corner. Even if they fell in love with the same man, they could still be friends and support each other. 

“If he accepts my confession, I’ll invite you to the wedding and I want you to sit with my guests.” Ennoshita sighed, even as he heard Kiyoko laugh. There was some movement and both teens turned to see students slowly merging from the buildings to walk towards the cafeteria. 

They both made their way to the cafeteria, bumping into Midoriya who Ennoshita got to introduce. The green haired teen seemed to be unable to look Kiyoko in the eye and when Suga joined them the teen’s face seemed to glow. 

Apparently Midoriya did not do well with beautiful people. 

Ennoshita didn’t have a chance to tease Midoriya about it because the cafeteria was in chaos as soon as they got there. 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE PRACTICE THIS MORNING?” Kuroo was shaking Bokuto as the bigger teen hugged Akaashi’s waist. “You told me your schedule was clear!”

“Nothing is more important than Akaashi!” Bokuto seemed like he wasn’t going to let go of the Fukurodani setter. Akaashi was glaring at Kuroo while the coaches were yelling at each other to see who could get the pro player back to his team the fastest. 

“Glad to see some things haven’t changed.” Kenma sighed before the teen tensed when Akaashi glared at him. Kenma paused for a moment before nodding and looking at Bokuto. “Bokuto, if you keep being clingy then Akaashi is going to break up with you.”

“WHAT?” Bokuto held on even tighter to the setter as he stared up at Akaashi from his spot around the teen’s waist. “Please don’t leave me!”

“Then go to practice and stop making trouble for everyone.” Akaashi sighed even as Bokuto finally let go and started pouting. Kuroo was able to grab the pro and drag him further away before waving at everyone.

“Sorry for the trouble! Good luck, can’t wait to see your games!” Kuroo shouted as Bokuto continued to stare longingly at where Akaashi was now sitting. The setter ignored the pro and then the teens were gone leaving Kiyoko and Suga standing by the door. Kiyoko gave everyone a nod before she followed after Kuroo, most likely to make sure he didn’t leave them behind. 

“I’ll visit the school next break!” Suga ruffled Ennoshita’s hair before waving again and running after Kiyoko. 

Everyone just kind of stood around for a moment before Kenma groaned and laid his head on the table. “Why are they so exhausting?”

“I miss Yaku.” Lev also put his head on the table and then the coaches started talking again. Ennoshita hurried to grab some food to make sure he had a chance to eat before they had to start practicing again. 

…  
…  
...

“Why the fuck are we meeting in your apartment?” Bakugo stared at the lived-in space. He remembered the first time he had seen it in his first year at the school when Aizawa had tried to stop the rumors about the teachers living in Midnight’s sexy dungeon by showing his class the teacher dorms and his own apartment. It had been sparse, functional, and boring. 

Now it had photos on the walls, clothes on the floor, and dishes on top of paperwork. It reminded Bakugo of his family home when his parents both got too busy with work and the teen had to force himself not to start cleaning space. 

Instead he stared at the pictures on the wall, particularly, one that featured Aizawa from his UA days with a young Mic, Midnight, and a kid Bakugo had eventually learned about called Loud Cloud. They were all crowded together, trying to fit in the camera frame while Mic held on to a kitten. Next to this photo was a picture of Aizawa, Mirio, and Eri. Bakugo knew Deku had been the one to take the photo, he had been standing behind the teen when it had happened but looking at it after all this time made the memories seem even more distant. 

“Bakugo, you’ve caught up on all your classes that you missed earlier in the year. You’ve finished all the community service we encourage our students to do to satisfy any third year resume.” Aizawa’s hair was a mess, and the older man was rubbing the scar on his forehead which was something he had started to do when we had a headache. The man glared at Bakugo. “The only thing that we need to resolve is your work study.”

“I’m going underground.” Bakugo wanted to tilt his head back in aggravation but since Aizawa’s alloy ribbon was still on the teacher’s shoulders, Bakugo kept still. 

“You are now two weeks behind your classmates. Two. Weeks.” Aizawa tapped the table as if to make a point. “I made you come to my place instead of the teacher’s lounge because you are the only third year not with a hero to work with at this moment. Only you.”

Bakugo smirked, a reply already forming but then Aizawa tapped the table again and the teen found himself silent at the man’s glare. 

“We’ve been over this, underground is not an option for you.” The older man kept his voice even and Bakugo didn’t bother to soften his glare as Aizawa continued. “And you aren’t going to drop out so stop making that threat. I know you too well to actually take that seriously.”

Bakugo glanced away at that and crossed his arms. So what if he was a fucking perfectionist, it wasn’t an issue. He turned his attention back to the teacher. “They why the fuck am I here-”

“You have three options.” Aizawa held up three fingers as if to make sure Bakugo could understand and the blond didn’t like that he was being talked down to but then again, he had been harassing Eraserhead about this for a while. “The first one, you choose between Best Jeanist or Endeavor, and get them to take you on.”

“It’s too late-”

“You know they both would take you on in an instant. Despite being a pain in the neck, people want to see you succeed and this includes the top two heroes in Japan.” Aizawa didn’t let Bakugo say anything else but the blond still felt his cheeks heat up at the praise. It wasn’t Bakugo’s fault people liked him. Even the teen had to admit it confused him sometimes. 

There was a tap on the door before it opened to reveal Mirio slowly coming in. The blond man’s hair was a mess and he was in sweats which meant that he had probably showered at Sir Knighteye’s Agency before coming back home. “Shota, I’m home! Did you get my text? Centipeder said he’ll come talk to your class about-”

“Welcome home.” Aizawa sighed from the table and Mirio took in the sight of the older man and Bakugo before smiling brightly. 

“Oh! We have company.” Mirio kicked off his shoes, and made his way over to the table. There was a pause as if Mirio was unsure of Bakugo’s reaction and it made the teen roll his eyes. 

“Everyone knows you both are practically married, stop being weird. Fuck. This is your damn house, I don’t give a shit if you want to kiss my teacher.” Bakugo clicked his tongue even as Aizawa rolled his eyes at the teen. 

“Well then.” Mirio laughed before kissing Aizawa on the head, letting his fingers card through the longer hair before the blond hero smiled at Bakugo. “Sorry for interrupting, do either of you want snacks or anything to drink?”

“We’re fine.” Bakugo snapped and Mirio glanced down at Aizawa. The teached waved him off and then Lemillion made his way to the back of the apartment where the rooms were. 

There was a small beat before Aizawa held up two fingers, as if their conversation hadn’t been interrupted at all. It was things like this that made Bakugo like the man. 

“The second option is to join Rock Lock on the ground. He’s not part of a formal agency but you know he’s one of the most active heroes in the country.” Aizawa paused then. 

Bakugo had to admit, that option wasn’t a bad idea. Rock Lock knew about Deku, knew about All For One, and above all else, they had already survived a lot together. It wasn’t underground but Bakugo was beginning to see what Aizawa was getting at. 

Ground Zero might not be able to hide in the shadows, but he could hide in plain sight. 

“Your third and final option, and I mean this Bakugo, is to work with the sidekicks at Idaten.” Aizawa put his hand down now that he was done counting. “As you know, Iida’s brother is still running the agency while Iida finishes school. Right now, it’s a company of sidekicks and after talking with Tensei, he has also agreed to add you to the ranks for your work study if you’re interested.”

Bakugo wanted to blast Aizawa in the face at the last suggestion but chose not to as a sign of respect for the older man. 

If Bakugo had been at another school, he probably would have been shuffled off to the side for being such a problem child. But not at UA. Not with Eraserhead as his teacher. From the very beginning the older man had understood him on some level, enough to see through his anger and frustration and see Bakugo for the kid he really was. 

Someone who wanted to be a hero.

“How long do I have to decide?” Bakugo wanted to think about it. It wasn’t what he wanted but it was clear Aizawa had done the work and tried to find him options he could work with. The teacher was right, Bakugo couldn’t put it off any longer, not without slowing down his hero career and Bakugo didn’t want to do that. He wanted to be so far ahead of everyone else that when Deku came back, the nerd would have to work three times as hard to even get near the same level. 

“Get back to me before class on Monday.” Aizawa sat back, grabbing a hair tie from the table to put his hair up as the older man gave Bakugo a look as if he was waiting for another argument but Bakugo just got up instead. 

“I’ll let you know Monday.” Bakugo pushed his chair back under the table as he made his way back to the door. He glanced to see if Mirio was around but the young hero was still missing so the blond just nodded at his sense. “Thanks.”

“Bakugo.”

The teen paused at the door, turning to see his teacher still staring at him. 

“This doesn’t mean you’ve given up on him.” Aizawa’s words were matter-of-fact but it made Bakugo grab the door handle tighter. 

He knew that. 

Bakugo wasn’t done looking for Deku, not until he had the bastard in front of him once again. Bakugo made his way out of the door, not bothering to say anything else as he started walking towards the year three dorms. 

Going back to Endeavor would make the most sense career wise. Bakugo would be able to debut as a hero as soon as he graduated if he served under the old man for a whole year instead of going the sidekick route. It is what Bakugo had wanted, what he had originally planned but it also meant he would never be able to be out of the limelight. 

Team Idaten, while a well known and respected hero agency, was never going to work. They liked teamwork and it was more about working together as a machine to bring out the best in the sidekicks they had there but it wasn’t what Bakugo wanted. Also, if Bakugo did decide to go off on his own, it would look bad on the agency if something went wrong and Bakugo didn’t want to have Iida yelling at him for the foreseeable future if that happened. 

The four-eyed class rep was annoying now, Bakugo didn’t think he would be able to take it once they were out of school. 

Which left Rock Lock. 

Rock Lock had been there. Had been there when Deku and the extras were saving Eri. Had been there at the Jaku General Hospital incident. Had even taken care of the first part of Deku’s internship in their second year when the nerd was still healing. 

Bakugo wasn’t particularly close to Rock Lock but that might work in both their favor. 

Bakugo’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he sighed, wondering if he had left something in Aizawa’s place before he found a message from an unknown number. The teen blinked as clicked on it only to have an address, a date, and a time as the message. 

“Don’t stop in the entrance, Bakubro!” Kirishima slapped Bakugo on the shoulder and it startled the blonde but Bakugo just shoved his friend away and made his way inside the dorms. 

“Shitty extras, why is everyone still awake?” Bakugo growled as he made his way over the kitchen. He could heat up something real quick and make his way to his room to look at the message again. 

It could be a wrong number but Bakugo didn’t think it was. The address was in a nice part of Tokyo but Bakugo would actually look it up when he got to his room. 

“Oi!” Bakugo paused as Kirishima yelled at him again. Kirishima, Mina, Denki, and Sero were sitting on the couches together as they all looked over at him. Kirishima just smiled. “What are you doing Saturday night? We were thinking of seeing a movie.”

Bakugo thought of the date and time he saw in the message and shook his head. It could be a trap, it could be anything, but no matter what, Bakugo was going to be there. 

“Maybe next time, shitty hair. I’m busy.”

…  
…  
...

They were all amazing. 

Deku watched as Hinata jumped sideways to spike the ball only to see Inouka get it up in the air on the Nekoma side. The rally had been going on for a while now and even Deku was starting to feel exhausted as both teams refused to let the game end. 

“Bus is ready to go so we can leave as soon as they’re done.” Yachi smiled as she stood next to Deku. The teen blushed, realizing that he probably should have helped her but he also knew that if she had needed his help, she would have got him. They watched as the new first year, Takaya, ran up to spike the ball on for it to be smashed down by Lev, the ball finally hitting the ground. 

“Again!” Hinata’s voice rang out in the gym and everyone groaned. 

“Shoyo, I’m leaving.” Kenma seemed to be making his point by kicking off his shoes while Hinata tried to get him to agree to one more match. Ennoshita and Lev ended up having to separate the two while Tanaka laughed in the background. 

“The other schools are already gone, I think it’s about time we head back.” Takeda sensei smiled over at the student before giving Hinata a look that had the small teen running over to his bag quickly. 

Deku couldn’t help but laugh before he finished his notes he had been putting together and made his way over the Kenma. The Nekoma setter gave him a glance and Deku took it as permission to approach so he handed the notebook he had been writing in over to the other teen. “I took some notes while I watched your games. It’s not much but maybe you’ll find them helpful. As a thank you for looking at my old phone.”

Kenma was silent as he took the notebook, and Deku felt awkward for a moment as Kenma glanced at it before nodding. “I’ll text you if I can save anything. No promises.”

“Just trying is enough.” Deku smiled, his heart seemed to clench at the idea of losing what little he had but he had to take this chance. “Thank you.”

“Izuku!” Saeko’s voice rang out in the gymnasium and Deku realized that he was one of the last people from Karasuno there. He quickly gave Kenma a small bow before running over to Saeko who was smiling at him. “Sometimes I forget how young you are and then I see you with kids your age.”

“Ah . . .” Deku didn’t really know how to respond to that before it didn’t matter cause Saeko was rubbing his hair. 

“Do you mind riding back in my car? Coach Ukai wanted to shift people around.” She handed Deku the keys to her work truck and then she took off towards the bus. Deku was confused for a moment as he saw the team loading onto the bus with sensei before he saw Tanaka and Nishinoya all pointing at their phones. Deku glanced at his phone to see a group chain had exploded on it while he was looking away. 

**Tanaka:**  
_sorry youre not in the bus with us_

**Noya-senpai:**  
_Asahi says he’s free next weekend if you both want to come over.  
Sorry you’re not in the bus, Izuku._

**Tanaka:**  
_at least saeko isnt driving  
good luck_

**Noya-senpai:**  
_Text us if you’re bored!_

Deku just smiled and waved his phone at them as he made his way to the truck. No one was in it yet so he was curious if anyone else had been exiled to the smaller vehicle before Deku paused as he glanced at the texts again. 

_at least saeko isnt driving_

If Saeko wasn’t driving her truck, who was?

“Calm down, sensei.” Deku froze as Coach Ukai opened the door to the car. The older man was on the phone, most likely with sensei as he smirked at Deku. “Take care of my kids and I’ll take care of yours. I’ll see you at the school.”

Deku could hear Takeda saying something for a moment but it didn’t matter because Ukai closed his phone and got in the driver’s seat. The older man put out his hand and Deku remembered he had the keys and quickly handed them over. 

The teen didn’t know if he should just jump out of the car and run or face whatever was about to happen but it soon didn’t matter because the coach was already driving out of the Nekoma parking lot. The older man sighed as he glanced over at Deku, making sure they made eye contact before the man turned onto the busy street. 

“I think we should talk.”

…  
…  
…

Uraraka could not believe she was hearing this. It was one thing for Iida to text her to come hang out in his room because he was freaking out, or in his own words ‘I am having a failure of faculties’, but it was another thing entirely to hear that Iida had finally made a move on Todoroki. 

They both were currently sitting on Iida’s bed, their backs against the wall so that their feed could dangle over the edge. Well, Uraraka’s feet dangled, Iida’s feet touched the ground as the tall teen stared at his ceiling. “I kissed Todoroki.”

“You’ve been saying that for five minutes.” Uraraka laughed, glad that he was comfortable enough to talk about this with her. Uraraka was usually the one complaining to him about the lack of romance in her life. “You kissed him but you’re not going out?”

“I didn’t ask.” Iida’s face was in his hands and Uraraka could guess how red his face was by the fact that his ears were so bright. 

“So let me get this right, and correct me if I’m wrong, but you and Todoroki have been flirting for weeks and then you felt like there was a moment so you asked if you could kiss him before you both went at it so hard that you fell on the ground in front of Shinso who ruined the moment and you ran back to your room.” Uraraka smirked as smoke seemed to rise from Iida’s head. “Next time, you should tell him you like him before you ask to kiss him.”

“I know!” Iida finally lifted his face and ran his hands through his hair. Uraraka noticed it was getting long in the back and wondered if Iida had been taking care of himself. Everyone had been distracted with their work studies lately and so it felt like she didn’t get to spend as much time with her friends as she used to. 

They would see each other even less when they graduated. 

But now wasn’t the time to be sad! Uraraka slapped her cheeks before moving over to slap Iida’s so that he was staring at her. 

“He said it was okay for you to kiss him so that means the feelings have to be somewhat mutual.” She let go of his face to sit back with a smile. “Just tell him next time you see him, it’s an easy fix.”

“But what if he thinks I’m only saying it because I want him . . .” Iida’s jaw tensed as if he was having a hard time figuring out what word to say before the teen turned his head. “. . . physically.”

“Pfft!” Uraraka hit Iida on the shoulder. “He shoved you up against the elevator when you kissed, I would be more worried about what he wants to do with you than the other way around.”

“No-that’s not-but-” Iida pointed his hand at Uraraka. “What if he thinks my feelings for him are cheap because I did not say them first?”

“Tenya.” Uraraka grabbed his hand with her’s. “There is nothing cheap about you or your feelings. If Todoroki doesn’t see that then it’s his loss but I don’t think that will be the case.”

“Ochako . . .”

“But if you think it’ll help your case, I can write a letter of recommendation.” Uraraka sat up on her knees as she stared upwards. “As a boyfriend, Tenya was known to be thoughtful and always put in the extra effort especially in bed where he-”

Uraraka laughed as Iida shoved her over. Both their faces were pink now, and she just smiled brightly now that he seemed to have calmed down.

“A review will not be necessary.” Iida laughed before he shook his head. “So, I’m overthinking this?”

“You most definitely are!” Uraraka shrugged. “But I mean, it is Todoroki. Oh wow, if this works out would you be a power couple? Since you both come from hero families?”

“Can I see if we’re a couple first before we worry about things like that?” Iida sighed, sprawling out on the mattress so that he took up all the space. Uraraka had to float over to his desk chair so that she didn’t fall on the floor. 

“It’s the weekend so why don’t you grab him before work studies tomorrow - oh, is that weird? Trying to get with Todoroki when you’re working with his dad? Do you think Endeavor knows?” Uraraka laughed as Iida kicked his chair so that she rolled away. “Sorry! One thing at a time, I won’t say anything else!”

“Maybe I should wait to talk to him when we all get back here after work.” Iida sat up. “I don’t want either of us to be distracted so maybe-”

Both teens paused as there was a singular knock on Iida’s door. 

“Should I?” Uraraka motioned to get the door but Iida waved her off as he got to his feet. The teen was about to open the door before the distinctive voice of Todoroki spoke up from the other side. 

“Iida, it’s me.” 

Iida slammed against the wall as if he was trying to hide himself and Uraraka started waving her arms around. She should not be found in Iida’s room after curfew, for many reasons, but the main one being that she did not want to be the center of any misunderstandings. Iida seemed to be frozen so she pointed at him and then the door before whispering. “Answer it!”

“No.” Iida whispered back and Uraraka threw a pen from his desk at him before she ran over to the balcony and opened it. Iida was clearly panicking but she had to give them space. She could hear him whispering at her. “Where are you going?!”

“Back to my room! Now answer the door!” Uraraka grabbed her cell phone and hopped out on the balcony before pointing at Iida and then pointing at the door again. “Answer the door before you miss your chance and then text me when you're done!”

Iida’s face was a look of betrayal that would normally have Uraraka laughing but instead she forced herself to float up towards the roof. It would be quicker to get to her dorm this way and as much as she wanted to hang around and eavesdrop, she knew Iida liked his privacy. 

Iida on the other hand, almost wished that Uraraka had stayed behind. He stared at the open balcony door for a moment before there was another tap on the door. The teen took a deep breath before he opened the door to see that yes, indeed, it was Todoroki standing outside his bedroom after curfew. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Todoroki answered, both teens stared at each other for a moment before Todoroki glanced down and then up again. “Can I come in?”

“What? Yes. Of course.” Iida swung his door open, hoping that his face wasn’t as red as he felt like it would be. He let Todoroki into the small space of his dorm and shut the door before standing at the entryway unsure of what to do next. 

Did something happen?

Was Todoroki here to tell Iida to back off, that it had been a mistake?

Was something else wrong? Why was the teen up so late?

Had there been another nightmare? 

“Next time, you can tell Uraraka she can leave through the door. Jumping out of the balcony seems a bit dramatic.” Todoroki smirked as he closed the door to the balcony. 

“She was, uh-” Iida ran his hand through his hair as he tried to think of how to explain it. Here he was, in his pajamas and acting guilty. Uraraka had only wanted to help him out and the teen realized that this was probably his chance. Iida stood straight before bowing. “I like you very much and, if you are not opposed, would like to date you.”

There was a warm hand on the side of his face that made Iida move up from his bowing position. Todoroki didn’t wait for the teen to straighten all the way before their lips were touching and Iida reached out to grab Todoroki’s shirt, realizing that the other teen was still in his gym clothes. The kiss was soft, nothing like it had been last time and Iida found himself trying to follow Todoroki when the other teen pulled away. Both of their cheeks were pink as they stared at each other and Iida felt like his brain was going on overdrive. 

“Will you date me exclusively?” Iida felt like his voice was too loud but he knew he was whispering. 

“Iida, I knew you liked me for some time.” Todoroki’s hands rested on Iida’s arms as the teen stared up at the taller teen. “I wasn’t going to do anything, because I didn’t think it would last long . . . most people only like me for a little while-”

“But-” Iida was cut off when Todoroki silenced him by stroking his hands down Iida’s arms. 

“But, I started to like you too.” Todoroki shrugged as if he wasn’t making Iida’s head explode with his casual words and soft touches. “We’ve always been friends but one day I wasn’t looking at you as a friend anymore and I didn’t mind the change.”

Iida, feeling a little braver now, let his hands rest more firmly on Todoroki’s waist. “I like you too, not as a friend but as . . . you.”

“Then yes, I’ll go out with you.” Todoroki raised his hands up and ran his fingers through Iida’s hair with a small smirk. “Exclusively.” 

“Can I kiss you?” Iida didn’t want to hold back but didn’t want to make the other teen uncomfortable. 

He didn’t have anything to worry about. Todoroki had no issues with kissing, in fact, as the other teen shoved Iida down on the class rep’s bed, Iida was beginning to wonder if maybe Todoroki wanted to move a little faster. The class rep blushed as Todoroki was suddenly situated before between Iida’s legs, the smaller teen leaning down to kiss Iida deeply as the taller teen was pressed into the mattress. 

It was nice. 

It was so nice. 

Todoroki’s teeth bit at Iida’s bottom lip as the teen pulled away and they stared down at each for a moment. Iida wanted to pull Todoroki back down but he felt himself sit up instead as a thought suddenly came to him. “Wait, is that why you came to my room?”

“What?” Todoroki seemed to be confused for a second before the teen suddenly looked bashful. “Oh, well, um.”

“Was there something else?” Iida wanted to make sure Todoroki was okay so he was confused why Todoroki seemed to be shy all of the sudden when he had been so aggressive a moment ago. “Did something happen?”

“I talked with Shinso and he said that if I took too long to talk with you, you might get second thoughts.” Todoroki glanced up at Iida then, looking embarrassed that he had talked to someone else about their kiss even if it had been the one person who had witnessed it. “I’m not good at relationships and I don’t really think about romance but with you I want to give it a try.”

“Ochaco says that I don’t change when I’m dating someone.” Iida paused before he grabbed Todoroki’s hands. “I probably shouldn’t talk about my ex when I’m with you. Don’t worry there is nothing between us, we are just friends.”

“I know.” Todoroki sighed before he brought Iida’s lips to his fingers and placed a gentle kiss on them. “She calls you Tenya, sometimes. Does this mean I can now, as well?”

Iida felt like he was going to have a heart attack but he nodded fastly. “Please do, Todo-sh-Shoto.”

“Tenya.” Todoroki moved Iida’s hands so that they were on the smaller teen’s waist before he put his hands on Iida’s shoulders. “Can I kiss you?”

“Please.” Iida really thought he might die now but as Todoroki’s lips pressed against his, he figured he wouldn’t mind going like this.

…  
…  
…

Deku was worried. 

They had made it part way home before Ukai had pulled over the car on the side of the road in a fit of rage. The man had thought everything Deku was saying had been a lie, had laughed at first but as Deku had tried to explain more and more the man had only gotten angrier to the point where he didn’t trust himself to drive. 

Deku had stayed in his seat as Ukai had gotten out of the car and had called Takeda. The teen hadn’t heard what was said on the call but he could see when the anger had left Ukai while on the phone. The coach had smoked a cigarette after hanging up before getting back in the car with a grunt and telling Deku to continue his story. 

So Deku told him everything. 

He told Ukai about heroes, about his world, about his school. He told Ukai about villains, nomus, and Eri, and how he had been trying to save her when he had ended up in this world. It was honestly the most Deku had talked to the older man in his time here and Deku figured this was probably his fault for not being honest with everyone from the start. 

Even if they did end up thinking he was crazy, it was better than lying to his friends. 

So now they were pulled over on the side of the road again. Deku had finished his story and the coach was leaning against the car outside as he smoked again. It was most likely the man’s second cigarette and Deku was beginning to worry about his lungs, there was no way this amount of smoking could be good for him. 

Deku’s phone beeped at him and he realized he was getting a call from Takeda-sensei. “Hello.”

“How are you? Are you close?” Takeda was clearly trying to sound cheerful though his worried tone still came through. 

“We pulled over again but we’re fine. I think he just needed a moment to think.” Deku glanced around for any signs of their location and spotted on not too far away. “I think we’re about thirty minutes away, I hope Saeko-nesan didn’t need her car.”

“Did you really tell him everything?” Takeda seemed at a loss and Deku couldn’t understand. 

“Takeda-sensei, he’s really worried about you.” Deku didn’t know if he should be revealing this but it was clear that Ukai was worried that Deku was only bringing trouble to Takeda’s life. Ukai seemed worried about Deku as well, no one wanted to see a kid in trouble, but it was clear that his motivation was for the older teacher more than anything else. “I told him everything, and I think he understands that I’m not making it up even if he has a hard time believing me.”

“Tell him to bring you back to my place when you’re back. Saeko said he could park it here and she would pick it up in the morning.” Takeda sounded tired and Deku felt bad about that but he agreed to pass on the message to Ukai. Once he had hung up Deku saw the older man was lighting another cigarette outside and found himself sighing as he got out of the car.

“Does sensei believe your story?” Ukai watched as Deku stood a few feet away and the teen folded his arms around himself. 

“I think so, he’s been helping me.” Deku hugged himself tighter. “With my search for Eri and my search to get back home.”

“And you said that your superpower, uh, your quirk doesn’t work here?” Ukai took another puff from his cigarette. “So you can’t show it to me, and we can’t say it was you who kicked down the tree at Nekoma.”

“I haven’t been able to use it since I got back, so I don’t know. I can’t explain the tree either.” Deku coughed as the wind made the smoke go in his face and the teen walked over so that he wasn’t in the path of it anymore. 

“Are you sickly?” Ukai stubbed out his cigarette, even though there was more left, and Deku was unsure of what the man was getting at. 

“Sorry?”

“You were sick when you got here, and it seems like you get sick pretty easily so I’m curious if that was what it was like for you over there. You had a fever yesterday but seem fine today.” Ukai shoved off the car and motioned for Deku to get back inside. “Do you get sick easy or something?”

And Deku hadn’t thought about that. 

“I usually don’t get sick.” Deku admitted as he put his seatbelt on. He would get the occasional cold as a kid but he even when Deku had been at his most obsessive with studying, he never really got sick. Exhausted, sure, but fevers? Rarely. In fact, he usually only got fevers when he was healing. 

Was there something wrong with his body in this world?

“Are you stuck here?” Ukai’s voice wasn’t harsh, but genuinely curious and Deku started to realize that the man was going to take everything Deku told him at face value. The teen didn’t know why he was surrounded by people who were just so willing to accept him, even if they had their doubts, but he knew he was lucky. 

He hoped Eri had been as lucky as well. 

“I don’t know if I’m stuck here. I think it was Eri’s quirk and the nomu’s quirk reacting to each other that sent me here and I have no way to recreate it.” Deku didn’t think he could leave easily. “I’ve been talking with Takeda-sensei about what will happen if I’m stuck here. I don’t have any id and I don’t have any school records but if I do stay here, I can’t just live off of his kindness for the rest of my life.”

Ukai was quiet at that as they turned down a road that looked more familiar. 

“And the girl you were trying to save, Eri, you said she landed here in 1980. That would make her in her forties now?” Ukai tapped his steering wheel for a moment. “Why do you think there was a large gap like that for both of you?”

“I don’t know.” Deku rubbed his face, he was tired. 

He was so tired. 

“I’m sorry.” Ukai’s voice startled Deku and the teen looked over to see the coach staring at the road. Ukai sighed before continuing. “Look, I know I’m not saying I believe you but this all seems real to you which means I’ve been an ass to you this whole time. Granted, it was because I thought you were someone trying to take advantage of sensei but I know you’re not now and that makes me feel bad.”

“You really like Takeda-sensei, don’t you?” Deku smiled as he saw a blush form on the older man’s cheeks. “I’m really grateful that he’s taken care of me so far, I know I owe him a lot.”

They pulled over next to a familiar building and Deku was surprised to see that they were already back home. He turned to the older man to thank him for the ride but Ukai was staring at him intently so the teen stayed silent as he didn’t get up from his seat. 

“Do you want a job?”

…  
…  
…

“Wait-hey-ngh-” Tamaki couldn’t get a word out as firm lips pressed against his. He didn’t mind, not when he was in the privacy of his apartment, he did mind when they were supposed to be working and so Suneater bit hard on the teen’s lip that was kissing him making Red Riot pull back in surprise. “We’re supposed to be meeting everyone in an hour.”

“A whole hour.” Kirishima moved so that he could kiss the hero’s neck instead and couldn’t help but press their hips together. “It’ll only take ten minutes to get there, please, we have almost an hour.”

Tamaki had to admit, it was nice to be wanted like this. Kirishima’s clothed erection pressed into his own as the teen started to rock into him. He hissed when he felt teeth on his skin and pulled the teen up so that they could kiss again. “You have thirty minutes.”

“Fuck.” Kirishima wasted no time as he unbuckled their pants, Tamaki only helping a little bit because he wanted to get this over with and for no other reason whatsoever. Kirishima didn’t seem to mind was he pulled Tamaki’s pants up just enough to press a finger in as the put both of Tamaki’s legs over his shoulder. 

Fuck. 

Kirishima wanted to go all the way and not just a quick handjob. 

“You’re so amazing like this.” Kirishima pulled up Tamaki’s shirt and licked at the skin that was there. 

Tamaki reached for Kirishima’s shirt and started to pull it up. If he was going to get naked in his living room then he wasn’t going to be the only one. Kirishima got the idea and started to strip himself and Tamaki let his long fingers trace the teens’ muscles with a smirk. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t stay at my place on the weekends anymore.” Tamaki huffed before having to bite his lip to stifle a moan as Kirishima’s fingers, this time with lube, started to stretch him open again. He threw his head back and groaned as he felt Kirishima’s mouth nipping his thighs. “You’re proving to be a distraction.”

“I’d live here and fuck you every day if I could.” Kirishima’s voice was light and happy and it made Tamaki turn to face the red hero. Kirishima’s face was bright as he smiled at the older teen. “I would make sure you’re never lonely.”

Tamaki fell back as Kirishima finally entered him and felt a pleasant stretch. The first time they had done it had been painful and full of tears, for both parties involved, but Tamaki was starting to know the appeal of having a Kirishima with him and in him, whenever the teen could make it work. They had only been dating for a few months but they had hooked up long before all of this and now that they were finally together, Tamaki didn’t want to let the redhead go. 

“I’m so glad Fat Gum and Mirko are working together.” Kirishima gasped and Tamaki covered the teen’s mouth. 

“Please don’t mention them while we’re doing this.” The hero groaned as Kirishima pressed further into him and reached over to cling to the redhead. He could barely catch his breath and found himself reaching out to cling to the younger hero. “I’m almost-”

“Wait, senpai, together. I want to come together.” Kirishima was kissing Tamaki and as much as the older hero wanted to do what the younger man asked it was too late, his semen shooting across Kirishima’s abs before the teen pulled out and stroked his cock a few more times to make it land on Tamaki’s stomach. The red head took a deep breath before he smiled brightly. “Only took twenty minutes, that’s pretty manly, right senpai?”

Tamaki just covered his face with a groan. 

Now they both needed to shower again. 

…  
…  
…

Saeko was confused. 

“You’re telling me . . .” She pointed over to Izuku who was sitting stiffly on the floor in her living room, before looking at the other people in the mix. “That this guy is from a, like, parallel universe and that's why Take-chan and Ryu have been so weird about him this whole time?”

She wasn’t sure why they were telling her this, only that after the weekend at Nekoma, her brother had suddenly been acting sheepish. She had hoped that it meant Kiyoko had finally given her brother a chance and Ryu was just being shy about it but instead, it turned out that her brother and Take-chan had been hiding an otherworld traveler from her this whole time. Take-chan and Ryu were both sitting next to Izuku, so Saeko turned her attention to the other’s in the room. 

Ukai was chewing gum like he wished it was a cigarette, Asahi looked confused and Nishinoya looked like Christmas came early. 

“We decided to tell more people since it seems like Midoriya is going to be here for the foreseeable future and it was brought to our attention that if he wanted to live a normal life here, he would need more help than what I or Ryu could do for him.” Takeda’s voice was pleasant but firm, showing that he really did believe everything the kid said. 

“We all need to be honest, as of right now, Midoriya is not here legally. Whether he’s japanese or not doesn’t matter when he has no legal documentation to prove he’s from here.” Ukai popped a bubble with his gum and Saeko realized it was probably him who had started poking holes into whatever life Takeda and Ryu had been living so far. “We can start the paperwork but most likely he would be taken away since he’s not a legal adult yet.”

“Well, I am in my world.” Izuku laughed as he realized how unhelpful that was. “I just mean to say that in my world, eighteen is considered adulthood not twenty.”

“Here it’s twenty.” Ukai sighed, “So for now, you’re just a kid.”

“Is everyone serious right now?” Asahi still seemed lost. The older teen seemed really lost. “Is this why you wanted me to talk to the cops I knew? Can you actually travel to another world? Why would you tell me this?”

“I’m curious, too!” Nishinoya grabbed Asahi’s hand as if to try and calm his boyfriend as he smiled at everyone. “Happy to be included but-”

“Ah, that’s my fault.” Izuku smiled as he rubbed the back of his head. He pulled out the envelope that Asahi had given him before the Nekoma weekend and smiled over at Asahi. “The longer I’m here, the less I’m comfortable lying to everyone. Asashi-san, you helped me find my missing friend and I wanted to thank you for that but it would be hard to explain it without telling you everything.”

“And I told Izuku that he needed to share this with Noya if he was going to share it with Asahi.” Tanaka shrugged as if he didn’t just admit that Asahi couldn’t keep a secret from his boyfriend in front of the group. “I also told him to rely on us more.”

Saeko wanted to pinch her brother in the cheeks, she was so impressed with how dependable he was. 

“But I didn’t really help, Eri is still missing.” Asashi rubbed his face. “This is a lot to take in.”

“You did! I now know that she’s here. I might not ever be able to find her but now I have a place to start looking.” Izuku smiled but Saeko thought it looked sad rather than happy. 

“Also, Midoriya is going to start working at my shop during the week.” Ukai blew another bubble before he glanced over at Takeda. “My mom has been wanting to cut back her hours, and both my parents are thinking about moving to the farm with gramps. I’ll be able to pay him and at least get him started with a record of employment, for now.”

“So you wanted us to know about Izuku’s past so that if an issue arises we can smooth it out?” Saeko sat back and hummed before she nodded. It made sense, Karasuno was a small town and everyone loved to be in everybody else’s business. “It’ll help that everyone already thinks he’s sensei’s cousin. We should keep that story going.”

“And I can help with the team.” Nishinoya smiled. “I think everyone is too focused on volleyball but if you ever need anything, let me know.”

“I can help you with your search for Eri.” Asahi smiled softly as he rubbed the back of his head. “I might not be much help but I know the area so I can at least travel with you when we’re both not working.”

“You guys . . .” Takeda’s face scrunched together as the teacher’s eyes filled with tears, clearly touched by all of this. “I know it’s a lot to ask but-”

“Izuku’s one of us now!” Tanaka wrapped an arm around Izuku with a smile. The other teen still seemed a little unsure but he was clearly happy to have everyone there. 

Saeko made sure to make everyone clean up after themselves as they all eventually started to leave. Asahi and Noya had been first to go, since Noya still had homework to finish. Izuku, Take-chan, and Ukai had left together all three of them, though she had seen Ukai separate from the other two at the end of the street. 

Another world. She honestly didn’t think she could believe it. 

“You okay?” Tanaka poked his head around the corner and she found herself smiling at him. 

“I think I’m more shocked that you were able to keep a secret for so long than anything else.” Saeko laughed as she pulled her brother into a hug before she sat back. “Do you want me to look into adopting him?”

“Ha!” Ryu smiled, clearly pleased with her before he shook his head. “I think Take-chan has already looked into it but are you telling me that I’m not enough for you? You need another little brother?”

“At least Izuku is a little shorter!” Saeko sighed before she rubbed Ryu’s head with a smile. “Well, we know better than anyone that family can be whatever you want it to be. So if you want him in ours then I’m happy to have him.”

There was a small beat before Ryu pulled her into a hug and Saeko found herself smiling as she returned it.

…  
…  
...

“Suneater, keep the interns out.” Fat Gum knew he didn’t look good when his sidekick just nodded before going over to the others. The BMI hero closed his eyes in a silent prayer before he made his way back over to the crime scene. 

Blood was everywhere.

Fat Gum was glad that Mirko wasn’t officially getting involved with this stuff which meant that she didn’t know about the crime scene yet. Most likely, her and her poor intern were off running amok through town but Fat Gum would rather have her there than here. 

He wished he could send his own interns further away but knew that it would only cause suspicion. 

“Tsukauchi, what is this?” His voice felt rough as he stared at the scene. There were no bodies, just blood splatters in the shape of where bodies must have been when they had been alive. He could hear an officer gasping in the next room and wondered if they found the bodies but decided to take in the scene in front of him first. 

Three bloody body shapes looked like they were dancing on the ground, each of them with a sharp red feather stabbed through their hearts. 

“Why three?” 

“That’s not the interesting part.” Detective Tsukauchi waved Fat Gum over so that the BMI hero could see writing on the wall. It had been hidden by some furniture but it had been clearly carved into the wall with a dull feather that laid on the ground now. “Why are they trying to frame Hawks? And what does this mean?”

TON RO YDAER 

Fat Gum stared at the letters for a moment before Tsukauchi sucked in a breath. The hero turned to the detective who had taken a picture of the letters and flipped it so that ‘READY OR NOT’ was clear on the screen. 

“Is that for us or for Hawks?” Fat Gum didn’t like it either way. 

“We need to talk to the HPSC.” Tsukauchi sighed. “This is the first time one of the murders has been this violent and with a note like this, it’s only escalating faster. We’re going to need help.”

…  
…  
…

“Why is everyone at my apartment?” Kuroo groaned as he stared at the freeloaders in his living room. “Kenma was the only one invited.”

Kenma didn’t react at all, he was still messing with the phone from the Karasuno kid. Kuroo sighed as he turned to the other two teenagers. 

“Kenma said you would help with my biology homework.” Lev held up a stack of papers and a textbook.

“And Kenma told me to come to make sure Lev didn’t bother him.” Yamamoto laughed with a shrug. Kuroo just sighed as he turned his attention to Kenma who didn’t look sorry at all as he turned to look at the older teen. 

“If Lev fails we lose a wing spiker.” Kenma typed something in on his computer and didn’t say anything else. Kuroo knew that the teen would make it up to him later but Kuroo just rolled his eyes and kicked Yamamto’s feet to make room for himself on the coach. 

It wasn’t that Kuroo cared that his old teammates came to visit him, it was nice to have someone who did. His grandparents had moved out to the countryside after he graduated highschool and his dad had remarried with a new family almost five years ago, he was fine on his own and his family still took care of him, but it was nice to know people still thought about him. 

“You’re a moron.” Kuroo sighed as he looked over Lev’s homework. “How are you good at math but bad at science?”

“I would help but I barely pass any of my classes, haha.” Yamamoto laughed.

“The only redeeming feature about you is how good you are at volleyball.” Kuroo sighed before turning back to Lev. “Now look at this-”

“Oh.” 

All three teens perked up at that. Kenma hadn’t made a noise the whole time they were there and the teen was suddenly looking at his computer screen with interest. Never one to mind his own business, Kuroo got to his feet and made his way over to see picture after picture pop up on the screen. Most of the time it looked like kids in costumes but occasionally they would be wearing normal things too. 

“It worked?” Kuroo was impressed. Kenma had been complaining about the phone for almost a week now and he knew the teen would be pleased that he had been able to access the files. 

“Oh, there’s Midoriya!” Yamamoto pointed to a selfie of the kid they had seen at camp. He was squished between a busty brunette and a well built blue haired teen as all three of them smiled at the camera. “You should let him know that you got the photos, kid seemed to be having a hard time at camp.”

“He’s your age, don’t call him kid.” Kuroo sighed before blinking as more images popped up. More weird costumes and occasionally shots of the teen or other teens wrapped up in bandages or in a hospital room. Nothing looked familiar. “Where did you say he was from?”

“He’s Takeda-sensei’s cousin.” Kenma muttered as they saw more and more photos. “Maybe this is a movie set?”

The pictures finally stopped even though the loading bar continued and it landed on what must have been the last picture on the phone before it broke. Midoriya was in a locker room, his face squished next to an angry blonde’s as they took a selfie together. Midoriya was making a goofy face while the blond was clearly yelling at him. It was hilarious. 

“Must be good friends.” Kuroo laughed and Lev seemed to stare at the other photos that were still on the screen. 

“Wait, who did you say-” Lev started but stopped as soon a video popped on the screen. 

“This is hero Deku!” Midoriya was on the screen and seemed really embarrassed about recording himself. Someone was shouting in the background and Midoriya frowned before yelling back. “Kacchan, you’re the one that told me to record the move! No wait, I wasn’t yelling!” 

The video cut off there and Kuroo laughed. 

“We probably shouldn’t be looking at this.” Kenma spoke softly as another video popped up. This time a small girl with silver hair, red eyes, and a horn on her forehead was smiling at the screen. The grumpy blond from earlier was holding the phone so that both of them were in it and all the teens were silent as the girl giggled. 

“Kacchan-nii, you knew Deku-nii’s password!” She smiled brightly as she waved at the camera. “Deku-nii, this is a super secret message from Hero Kacchan-nii and sidekick Eri!”

“Of course I know his password, fuck-and what?” The blond, Kacchan apparently glanced at the girl. “You’re the fucking hero here, don’t make me do more work. I’m your sidekick in this.”

The little girl was absolutely smitten with the blond as she blushed before she smiled brightly at the phone again. This time Kacchan gave the camera a peace sign as if it was his contribution as the girl laughed and yelled, ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY!’. The blond grumbled and the video cut off and Kuroo suddenly felt bad for watching the videos. 

“That girl had a horn on her forehead.” Lev seemed really confused while Yamamato just shrugged. 

“This looks like some sort of play? Was he a theater kid? I don’t recognize the costumes though.” Yamamoto glanced at Kuroo before looking at Kenma. “We should probably-”

“Hey mom.” Another video started and all the teens froze as Midoriya appeared on the screen again. This time the kid was beaten and bruised, almost his entire body was covered in bandages and it looked like he was in pain. “I probably won’t send this to you but I’m recording it anyway. I’m sure I scared you, I scared myself out there but we’re all alive. We made it - uh -”

The teen’s voice choked and Kenma was suddenly clicking on his screen and freezing the video as all three teens stared at it in shock. 

Kuroo grabbed Kenma’s shoulder before taking a deep breath. “No one should jump to any conclusions. You all met Midoriya last weekend, what did you think?”

They were silent before Kenma spoke up. “I need to call Shoyo.”

…  
…  
...

This was probably a terrible idea. 

Bakugo made his way through the busy streets at night. It was late, and he knew the only reason he had been able to get off campus without too much of a hassle was because Aizawa thought he was going to the movies with the rest of Class A. 

If this went to shit he would owe the man an apology. 

He honestly already did. 

Bakugo glanced around the streets, and was surprised with how normal everything felt. They were in Endeavor’s territory so he had been afraid that he might run into a few heroes walking around but so far he hadn’t met up with anyone he recognized. 

The address from the text led him to a tall high-rise. The teen frowned as he realized that he was in the richest neighborhood and he found himself pausing. 

If this was a trap, he should send his location to Shitty Hair or to Eraserhead. The blond swore to himself before he realized it was time and readied a message in his phone, he wouldn’t send it, not yet, but if anything went south then all he would do was press send. 

The lobby to the building was empty minus three elevators. Bakugo stared at them, unsure of what to do next before he got another text from the same number that said ‘Elevator 3, passcode 81319’ and the teen marched over and typed it into the keypad. Sure enough, the elevator opened with ease and when Bakugo stepped inside he realized that there were no buttons as the doors closed. 

He took a deep breath. 

Clearly they wanted to talk to him, whoever they were. He could feel the elevator go up and stayed ready. He could explode his way out if he needed to and knew that it would get a lot of attention in this neighborhood and fast. 

He would be fine. 

He couldn’t say the same for whoever was on the other side of the doors. 

The elevator binged and the doors opened to reveal a small hallway lined by windows with another door at the end. The teen glanced out the windows to see he was most likely near or at the top of the highrise and growled. If it came to jumping out a window he would do it but landing would be a bitch. 

Bakugo walked up to the door and knocked loudly, already impatient for how long it had taken him to get up there. “No more cloak and dagger shit, open up!”

There was a noise on the other side and Bakugo took a step back, ready to attack, only to falter as the tally body of Endeavor filled the doorway. The older man was clearly confused at the sight of the teen before he glanced down the hall and motioned for Bakugo to come in. “How do you know where I live?”

“I don’t.” Bakugo pulled out his phone, not bothering to hide the fact that he was looking around as he showed the messages to Endeavor. “I was told to come here.”

Endeavor shut the door and took Bakugo’s phone before looking at the teen in front of him. The older hero sighed as he pinched his nose. “You came to an unknown address without any back up.”

Bakugo didn’t bother to argue as he made his way to the balcony that was open and shut the door. The teen didn’t see anything suspicious in the space. He turned his attention back to the older man. “Who the fuck wanted both of us together?”

“How should I-” Endeavor stopped as there was another knock on the door. The hero motioned for Bakugo to wait and so the teen stood at the ready but off to the side. The older man didn’t turn his flames on before it was clear he was ready to as he opened the door quickly and yanked whoever was on the other side in with force. “Who are you and wha-”

Bakugo and Endeavor both stood speechless as a young man stumbled onto the floor from Endeavor’s throw before laughing. His tufted blond hair was identifiable, as he picked himself off the ground and made a production of dusting himself off before smiling at the two heroes. His eyes glanced at Bakugo before slowly making their way over to Endeavor with a sheepish grin. “And a hello to you too, Endeavor-san.”

Bakugo hadn’t seen Hawks since the time they had run into each other on the street in Bakugo’s first internship with Endeavor. He had heard what had happened, had known the man didn’t have his wings anymore, but to see Hawks standing before him in all black, minus a few design elements, with no wings was jarring. 

“What the fuck?”

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Mirko (28) and Fat Gum (30) are sex friends  
> -Deku is basically forced to tell his secret  
> -Iida (17) and Todoroki (17) make out  
> -Tamaki (19) and Kirishima (17) have sex  
> -violent crime scene is described  
> -Bakugo puts himself in a potentially dangerous situation 
> 
> Please review or kudo if you enjoy!


	8. In my wildest fantasy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keigo didn’t mind the stuff he couldn’t control because there was nothing he could do. Instead, he would enjoy the days where he could stand outside the local shop and watch the heroes on tv. He could stand there for hours and hours as he watched these great people protect the powerless around them. 
> 
> Keigo wanted to be a hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:   
> I want to call out that this chapter references canon violent and canon domestic abuse as well as some other dark subject matter like suicidal thoughts and character death (not to suicide). I made sure to label it all at the bottom of this chapter so please check that out if there is certain subject matter that you like to know about ahead of time before you read a story. 
> 
> Also, heads up, this chapter is all set in MHA and follows the POV of one character. Originally this was only supposed to be a short chapter before I continued the story with Deku but it turned into a monster. 
> 
> Author’s Note:   
> THIS CHAPTER NEARLY KILLED ME. When I first wrote it, it was a long chapter but I hated it so I took a few days to actually sleep and then took another stab at it and it ended up being the length of two chapters sooo instead of splitting it in two parts, you get a super long update. Really hope you like it. 
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

Takami Keigo doesn’t remember much of his childhood. Maybe it’s because he didn’t really have one. 

What he remembers are brief glimpses of memories. He doesn’t remember his mom’s face but he knows she was a tiny woman who drank a lot. She was always angry and always shouting. She would hit his father and they would shout at each other and fight. And on days where Keigo made too much noise, she would hit him too. 

Neither of his parents had wings, but his dad had bird features with hawk-like eyes and claws. His father was small, hunched over and quiet. Keigo wondered if his dad could see the things that Keigo saw but, instead of asking, Keigo learned to be quiet like this father. They were poor, and it was something that his parents seemed to constantly struggle with even as Keigo didn’t mind. 

He didn’t mind getting clothes from the neighbor whose kid was a few years older. 

He didn’t mind that he didn’t have toys to play with. 

Keigo didn’t mind the stuff he couldn’t control because there was nothing he could do. Instead, he would enjoy the days where he could stand outside the local shop and watch the heroes on tv. He could stand there for hours and hours as he watched these great people protect the powerless around them. 

Keigo wanted to be a hero. 

It would be the last memory of his parents that always stuck with him, even as all the other memories started to fade away with time. His parents had smiled at him as they all dressed in their best clothes. His mother had held his hand as they walked through a local festival and had even bought him a small doll of his favorite hero, Endeavor. He had gotten small gifts from her before, usually some chalky candy but this was the first time that Keigo had been given something he had wanted. He had held it tightly and smiled at both his parents as they made sure he was secure in the car before they got on the road. 

He hadn’t known that his dad had lost his job. That his parents had been so poor and tired that they had given up. His parents had decided to end it all and they wanted to do it as a family. Maybe that was proof of how much they loved him, that they couldn’t bear to leave the world without him. Maybe this doll was their way of apologizing for not giving him the life they wanted or maybe it was just a way for them to feel better about the fact that they had given up on him as well as each other. He would never know and he never really thought it mattered. 

No one died that day. Maybe it would have ended differently if his parents had told him beforehand but when Keigo’s father had sped their car into oncoming traffic, he hadn’t known he wasn’t supposed to save anyone. 

At the age of five, Keigo Takami saved a bunch of people with his Fierce Wings in the middle of a high speed car accident. 

It was also the day that he lost his family.

His parents were alive, they were fine, but he was never going to see them again. The HPSC had shown up at the accident site and realized what a special child he was. They had talked to his parents and the people in suits had talked to him. Told him that everything was going to be fine because they were going to turn him into a hero. 

It would be some time before he realized his parents had sold him, or maybe that the HPSC had bought him. They had told him that his family would never want for anything and Keigo hadn’t fully realized what was happening. Hadn’t understood the conflicted look on his father’s face, or how his mother had held him gently as she cried, knowing that they were going to give their son away. He never really blamed them for it. They had been tired, and poor, and the HPSC offered them a future with money -- Keigo was sure other parents would have been just as tempted and not just his own. 

It would be some time before he realized how easily they had been manipulated by the HPSC, but at that point he didn’t get angry because the HPSC had given him the skills he needed to be a hero. 

The last time Keigo heard his name, he was a small boy clutching a doll while people in suits told him to forget his past as they gave him a future. Takami Keigo was gone, now there was only Hawks. 

When Hawks was seven years old, he learned how to sneak out of the HPSC dorms. He was the only child there and was tired of the same thing day in and day out. Occasionally other kids would show up but never for long, they couldn’t keep up with him and the HPSC had no patience for anything but the best. 

Sometimes he wondered if the kids were sent back home, if Hawks would be sent back home if he failed, but when he asked his teacher the woman had laughed and told him that the HPSC never gave up on their investments.

Hawks didn’t know if he should be more worried about himself or the other kids with those words. 

The first time he snuck out, he had been able to crawl through vents before jumping out of a window near the top of the building. Security was more lax the higher he went up and Hawks took advantage of it. It had been two years since he had been outside and the kid hadn’t realized how much the world would move on without him. 

The world didn’t need Takami Keigo to keep moving. 

He wondered if it would need Hawks?

The way he viewed the outside world was different, he could see things he hadn’t considered before. He could notice when someone was wearing well worn clothes, or if their nails were chipped. Thanks to his training, all the little details around him seemed to be glaring no matter if they were in his face or a distance away. He liked it. Being able to see what others would miss. 

The most memorable thing about his first trip outside was that he had seen the debut of a Hero named Crust who had been able to stop an armed robbery. The young hero had cried passionately as he told the villains about the errors in their ways and the civilian audience had eaten it up. Crust seemed a little over the top but Hawks couldn’t help but feel in awe at seeing a hero in action. 

The child had hoped that maybe, just maybe, his favorite hero would show up but Endeavor never did come. 

On the way back to his dorm, after sneaking back in, Hawks realized that as long as no one realized he was gone, no one cared what he did in his free time. His schedule was strict but there were blocks of time where he had nothing to do and now Hawks had found a way to take advantage of that time. Hawks went back to his dorm, ignoring the comments from the older agents who didn’t know he could hear them. Some agents weren’t comfortable around him, didn’t like how silent he was and it made them wary. He would fix that, with time, and then agents would hate him for his smart mouth. Hawks figured he could never please everyone and just did what he wanted from that point on. 

He grabbed his Endeavor doll and pulled it to his arms to fall asleep that night. One day he would meet his hero. 

One day he would be a shining light like Endeavor and beat up the bad guys. 

The HPSC was nice, for an institution, but Hawks wasn’t sure he would call it a home. Maybe that was on purpose, they didn’t want him to have emotional attachments to things that might come and go. He was a smart kid, he could appreciate the fact that he never went hungry, that there was always a warm bed waiting for him, and no one ever hit him. 

Unless it was part of training. He would get hit a lot during training.

The training had started off rough but ultimately Hawks hadn’t felt like it had been too hard . . . until the moment that it did. It seemed like every time he learned something new or achieved whatever standard they were looking for, there would be a new goal to work towards. Some days Hawks would have a standard lesson like he was in school. They felt his education was important even if Hawks didn’t understand why he needed to know all this stuff to be a hero, he still had to learn it until he had it memorized and got perfect scores across the board. Other days he would wake up blindfolded and would have to find his way out of a maze without any help. At first it was just a maze but eventually traps were added. 

He had to train his Fierce Wings until he could control every feather. He had to learn how to take a beating and know where to hit his opponents if they were bigger and stronger. He was smart, but the HPSC taught him how to be a fighter.

Hawks wasn’t told the names of the people at the HPSC, in fact, most people didn’t use names at all when they were talking to each other. It was always titles. There were guards, teachers, and specialists - there were so many titles that Hawks worried he would lose track even though he never did. 

There was the president. A woman who seemed shrewd as she would come by to evaluate him every few months. Hawks wondered if she was a mother, and eventually he would be able to tell that she was. He would learn to read the creases in her clothes, the perfume that she wore, and the tone that she used when talking to those around her. He started noticing things about the agents around him, and only when he wanted to be sent to his room would he start asking them personal questions out loud. 

The HPSC taught Hawks a lot of things but Hawks taught himself how to see. 

On days where Hawks missed a step or got hit too many times, he would wonder if this was how all heroes happened. Were they all beaten like this from the very beginning? Did being a hero mean you had to give up part of yourself?

All Might was a beacon for all heros but Hawks felt like the Number One hero was more like an idol than a man. No matter how close Hawks would look, how many recordings he would see, All Might seemed inhuman in his perfection. He was a symbol more than anything else. 

Endeavor was human. Hawks would watch the flame hero’s recordings more than any others, even if he had been told to study them all equally, the kid couldn’t help but watch this flawed person struggle. Even as Endeavor had taken the number two spot, all Hawks could see was a man who wasn’t done yet. A hero who could see the vastness of space between number one and number two and was determined to close the gap. 

Some agents at the HPSC didn’t like Endeavor, they felt the man was too harsh, too angry, and too obsessed with besting All Might. 

Hawks liked that Endeavor never gave up, no matter how futile the fight was. 

There was one person in the HPSC that Hawks never got to meet, but he remembered how the other staff would talk about the strange old doctor in the basement. The doctor tried to meet him a few times but Hawks had seen how the President looked when the old man was brought up and the kid learned to make himself scarce if the doctor was around. Hawks was a secret for the top half of the HPSC, and the doctor was meant to be a secret in the basement. They were two worlds that should never collide and Hawks instincts told him to stay away so he did. 

He just needed to focus on becoming a hero. 

Hawks was nine years old when he stared at the tv to see a student at UA died while taking on a villain as part of their work study and the reporters were in an uproar. How could UA let a second year student die like this? How could the hero His Purple Highness let this happen to his charge? Hawks didn’t understand why everyone was so mad at first but eventually he could understand. Hawks wonders what he would need to do to make a future where less kids needed to put themselves in danger. 

Hawks could hear people whispering in the halls, the doctor in the basement was upset. The guards seem to think the doctor wanted more kids to die and Hawks wasn’t sure what to do with that information so he held on to it. He would make a future where hero schools weren’t needed and kids could just be kids. 

He tells this to his guard who laughs at him and asks him what he knows about being a kid. Hawks doesn’t take it personally and the guard eventually sighs before telling Hawks that if he works hard enough then maybe it will happen. Hawks isn’t sure he believes her but he promises to be the strongest hero ever anyway. 

“You won’t always be the strongest in a fight.” Hawks’ guard reminds him. The kid pouts for a minute and she laughs at him. “You won’t always be the strongest, or the smartest. You have to be ready for that.”

“Then I’ll be the fastest.” Hawks decides as he watches more people talk about how UA had failed it’s students on the news. There were people defending the school but they aren’t the ones shouting and Hawks wonders what the point of all this is. It won’t bring the student Loud Cloud back, and UA will only continue to educate more heroes in the future. 

The more he thought about UA, the more Hawks wondered if he was getting the same education as those students. 

“Of course not.” His guard walks him to his room later that night says with a huff. “You’re special.”

“But Endeavor went to UA.” Hawks doesn’t understand why the woman doesn’t seem impressed with that but she doesn’t respond as she shuts him in his room for the night. It took them a few months but they eventually realized that he would sneak out sometimes and started to lock him in. It never stopped Hawks but he wondered if it made them feel better to at least try to keep him inside.

Hawks is ten when he goes on his first mission with the HPSC. 

It goes horribly, which Hawks hadn’t expected but apparently the HPSC had been prepared. He had followed everything like he had been taught, had done everything correctly but he hadn’t been prepared for the small group of villains to have hidden back up and he had been overwhelmed quickly. 

It didn’t matter because the HPSC had sent back up and when Hawks had to give his report, the HPSC agent who had taken everyone out while Hawks had struggled, stood next to the kid. 

“You jumped in too fast. You need to take your time with operations, if you had then you would have seen the warning signs.” The president didn't look up from her paper and Hawks clenched his jaw in failure. She dismissed him with a wave of his hand and Hawks ran past his room to go back to the training room. 

His speed hadn’t been the issue, it had been the rest of him. 

He needed to be fast, he needed to be fast, and that meant he needed to be able to see the signs at top speed. He needed to work harder so that his instincts were ready. He would show them that his ability to move fast was his asset. 

Hawks is thirteen when another kid is brought in. The teen stared at this smaller kid who stumbled down the hall. His hair is dark red and his eyes were an icy blue. When their eyes met, Hawks felt disappointed. The kid was too skinny and too frail to be able to handle the training at the HPSC. 

This new kid wouldn’t make it a week. 

“Hawks, this is Toya. Toya, this is Hawks.” The guard motioned towards Hawks. “You’ll be a sparring partner with him during some of his sessions but for the most part, you’ll only have normal school classes together.” 

Hawks gave the kid another once over. “I’m not sure he’ll be able to handle me.”

“I’m not sure you’ll be able to handle my quirk.” Toya glared right back, some flame escaping his arm and making the kid hiss as if it caused him pain. 

“Toya, remember the rules. You can only use your quirk in specific spaces.” The guard sighed before he motioned towards the door. “You both don’t have to get along but at least be civil. Hawks, you need to learn to fight with a fire user. Toya, you need to learn to control your quirk and train your body to hold up to it. You both are here for a reason. I’ll be right back but I expect you to not cause any scenes while I’m gone.”

Hawks didn’t bother to respond and instead chose to fly up so that he was sitting on the back of the couch. He had gotten more control over his feathers and wings and it made him want to be in higher places. Both the kids stared at each other, Hawks taking in the burns on the kid’s skin while Toya stared at his wings before Hawks decided he’d had enough and jumped down to shake the kids hand. 

He could be civil, he would prove it. 

“Why are you burned up? Why are you here? How old are you?” Hawks put a hand over his mouth as he said the things he was thinking and not what he wanted to say. 

“Wow, you really do just say things.” Toya seemed amused and Hawks wondered if the guard warned him. Hawks huffed a bit at that thought, he wasn’t that bad, but then Toya answered his questions. “My burns are from my quirk, it’s too strong for my body to handle. That’s why I’m here, to find a way to use it without hurting myself. And I’m fourteen.” 

Hawks eyed the burns on the kids arms and raised an eyebrow at that. They wanted him to fight a strong and uncontrollable quirk in the pretense of training this kid? 

“Fourteen? You’re actually older than me even if you look like a kid.” Hawks glanced at the clock. “I should get going. 

“You’re kind of rude, you know that right?” Toya glanced at the clock as well before looking at Hawks. “They wouldn’t tell my dad anything about you but then I got to meet you in person. Why are they treating you like some special secret?”

Hawks wanted to show off a little since it was rare that he had an audience and sent one of his feathers to slam the door shut. Toya jumped at the noise and Hawks smirked. “It’s because I am a special secret.”

“Your feather did that?” Toya seemed excited and Hawks could feel himself preen at the attention. There was some thudding down the hall which told Hawks that someone was walking this way quickly and the teen realized that he needed to get out of sight in case it was someone related to this kid. 

He was supposed to be a secret afterall. 

“Someone is coming.” Hawks decided to give Toya a warning since it seemed like the kid couldn’t sense the approach like Hawks could. He teen flew up to a loft entryway just in time to get out of sight as the door slammed open. Hawks, never being one to turn down free information, found himself lying on the ground so that he could see who was there and sucked in a breath at the well muscled back that was heading towards Toya. 

Those shoulders, even in casual clothes Hawks would recognize Endeavor anywear. He could even see the man’s costume peeking out from under the older man’s clothes and Hawks wanted to fly down there and meet the man. 

But he couldn’t. 

He wasn’t supposed to engage with heros inside the building. 

Hawks suddenly wished he wasn’t a special secret anymore so that he could run over to his favorite hero. Instead, he held his breath as he heard the man speak. Endeavor’s voice was deeper than Hawks had thought it would be, clearly the tv hadn’t done the man justice. 

“Are you sure about this, Toya?” Endeavor seemed aggravated by anything and everything in the room as he stood over, who Hawks was now assuming, his son.“I already told you that you could stay with your siblings.”

Endeavor. 

Endeavor was in the HPSC. 

“I want to learn how to control my quirk.” Toya’s voice sounded less confident than it had been when talking with Hawks. The teen couldn’t help but look at the other kid, to see how Toya seemed to fold on himself in the presence of his father. “I want to be strong like you.”

Endeavor seemed to mumble something to himself before he left the room without giving the kid another glance. Hawks watched the man leave and couldn’t help but fly out of his hiding spot as soon as the door was shut again. “That was Endea-”

“My dad. I don’t want to talk about him.” Toya seemed distant now as he held both his arms. Hawks shut his mouth with a snap as he stared at the kid’s burns one more time. 

The kid had Endeavor’s quirk.

Or maybe something stronger, if it was hurting him like this. 

It wasn’t long before another guard came by looking for Hawks who was late to his training. The teen waved bye to Toya before taking off and wondering what it might be like to be Endeavor’s kid. 

Apparently, it was not very fun. 

The more Hawks learned about Endeavor, from the little bits that Toya would tell him, was that Endeavor was not a good dad . . . or a good husband. Hawks wasn’t one to judge, he never really thought about his parents anymore, but it was clear that Endeavor wasn’t paternal material, whatever that meant. 

Still, Hawks couldn’t help but admire the man as a hero. 

“He never seems to give up, never stops.” Hawks sighed one night, holding the Endeavor doll in his arms as he stared at the ceiling. Toya, who was not a fan of the doll but left it alone, listened as he picked at the blankets on Hawks bed, both of them just relaxing after a day of nothing but classes. “It’s kind of embarrassing how much he struggles.”

Endeavor was flawed. He was a man who wanted to be the strongest but when faced with the reality of how far behind he was to All Might, instead of giving up Endeavor persisted. Endeavor would never stop trying to be number one, no matter how he failed and failed and failed. 

Hawks liked him because he never stopped trying. 

“Isn’t it sad? He’s so strong and he’s not even close to All Might.” Toya sighed. “I don’t even know why he tries to compete, All Might is on another level.”

Hawks wondered what drove Endeavor, why he wanted to be the strongest hero and why he worked so hard for it. 

The teen also wondered what a future might look like if heros didn’t have to work this hard. If there was a future where it would be okay for them to be human. 

To be flawed. 

Toya changed the conversation to his siblings. It had taken some time but eventually Hawks learned that Toya was Endeavor’s eldest kid. Toya liked to talk about his siblings, about his sister Fuyumi who was kind, about his little brother Natsuo who liked to play games, and about the youngest of siblings Shoto who Toya didn’t know very well. Apparently Shoto had been the child Endeavor had been waiting for and the hero neglected his first three to focus on the youngest who had gotten both Endeavor’s flame quirk and Toya’s mom’s ice quirk. 

Toya’s flames were stronger than his dad’s but his body was weak like his mom’s and it made a terrible combination for the teen. He came to the HPSC to learn to control his powers so that he could take over being a hero for his dad instead of Shoto. 

Hawks wondered what it would be like to have someone worry over him like that. 

On the weekends, Toya went home. He’s under strict rules to not talk about Hawks or other things at the HPSC but he’s allowed to talk to his family about how he is doing. Toya admits that his family doesn’t ask a lot of questions so it doesn’t really matter anyway. 

When Toya is gone, Hawks goes on missions. He’s learned since his first one and has started to get a reputation for being able to finish everything in an instant. Hawks no longer needed backup and he no longer missed the details. 

Hawks is fourteen when he kills someone for the first time. 

She hadn’t been a target but she had gotten in the way, she had been one of the villain’s lover and had tried to stop Hawks’ feather sword when he was cutting the villains down. If she hadn’t gotten in the way, the villain would have been injured but not dead but instead she had jumped in before he could stop his swing and he had cut her through. 

“It was her decision, her sacrifice.” The president stood in the locker room as Hawks tried to clean his feathers. He couldn’t tell if her blood was still there with the red of his wings so he kept washing and washing. The president continued talking as he scrubbed. “This is why the HPSC exists, we do this work so that the heros don’t have to. We dirty our hands, so the heroes can say the shining and pure lights we need in society.”

Hawks eventually stumbled out of the shower, his eyes puffy and his wings a mess, but the woman didn’t say anything about his appearance as she handed him a towel. “This won’t be the last time you have to kill someone.”

Hawks wanted to ask why, wanted to ask why this sort of work was needed but he knew better. He knew the answers and knew the truth in her words. If it wasn’t him, then it would be somebody else. 

“One day, this kind of work won’t be needed.” Hawks only put on his pants so he could go back to his room. 

“That would be a nice future.” The president hums, she’s not making fun of him but it’s clear that she’s doubtful. Hawks doesn’t care if she believes him. 

“I’ll make it happen.”

During the week, sometimes Hawks can convince Toya to break out with him. The teen is clearly a stickler for the rules but sometimes Hawks can catch him in the right mood and then they both scramble through doorways before the cameras catch them. 

They only got caught once and it was after Hawks used the wrong card to buy some fried chicken but Hawks thought it was worth it in the end. 

The chicken had been amazing. 

“What happened to your parents?” Toya asked as they both sat on their knees in the hallway with their hands in the air. It’s a weird punishment, something Toya tells him that happens in normal schools, but Hawks doesn’t really care for it. His arms hurt and it’s not his fault that the teacher was so boring they both fell asleep. 

“I don’t know.” Hawks answered honestly. “I’m not even sure I would recognize them if I saw them.”

They quieted when a guard walked by but Hawks didn't mind. He didn’t really have more to say about his parents. 

One day, when Hawks is helping Toya try on some fireproof clothes to use for their next spar, a secretary ran into the room and grabbed Toya. Both teens were confused but Hawks was ordered to stand down as Toya went off with the strange woman, he didn't come back for a week. 

Turned out, Hawks later learned, there had been an incident at the Todoroki household. Apparently Toya’s younger brother was injured and his mother was hospitalized. The way that the guards talked about it, Hawks was actually surprised that wasn’t in the news as he sat on the back of the couch and watched the daily updates. But there was no drama about a desperate hero who is determined to be number one, and there was nothing about a wife’s mental health breaking under pressure to the point where she attacked her own child. Hawks isn’t sure if it’s actually like that, but he figured he’d ask Toya later.

Toya might punch him for it but he’d still ask. 

Instead the news was about a new rising hero called Best Jeanist. The news anchor is really excited about this guy in all denim, Hawks was honestly a little underwhelmed. 

When Toya does return, the teen is quiet and seems desperate. It’s the same desperation that Hawks sees in Endeavor’s face sometimes and the winged teen keeps a small distance between them just in case Toya needs space. He only makes it two days before he finally sneaks into Toya’s room at night only to find the teen crying. 

“I need to get better.” Toya wiped his tears as he continued to sob harder. “If I can control my quirk then dad won’t have to try so hard. My family will be okay. The doctors say that my flames are stronger than dad’s, if I can get my body where it needs to be then I can be the one to face All Might. Then my family can be happy.”

Hawks doesn’t know what to say to that so he settles for holding Toya’s hand and asking the teen about the outside world. Toya talks about his favorite movies until he falls asleep and Hawks sits with the teen in the dark for a little longer before making it back to his own room. He stares at the Endeavor doll for a moment before he places it on the shelf next to his bed and goes to sleep without holding it for the first time since he’d lived in with the HPSC. 

“There’s a doctor here that keeps taking my blood but I’ve never met him.” Toya seemed genuinely confused and Hawks shrugged it off. From what Hawks knew, the old doctor is gone and there are new doctors now that seem less creepy but Hawks doesn’t meet them unless he gets injured and he rarely gets injured. 

That week they focus on physical training and Hawks regrets ever wanting to be a hero in the first place. At least he says he regrets it, honestly, he has no idea what he would do with his life if he didn’t have this. 

“Did your parents name you Hawks?” Toya is gasping for breath after being forced to run laps and Hawks can’t blame him. Hawks hated running. He thinks the trainer is making them run as punishment since Hawks had managed to steal some of the man’s lunch before he got caught but Hawks can’t prove it. 

“No, I had a different name before I came here.” Hawks isn’t sure what he’s supposed to say. The longer Toya is at the HPSC, the more Hawks wondered if they were allowed to be friends. 

Were they friends?

“Well, you know everything about me, tell me your name.” Toya turned over so that he was on his stomach as he smiled at Hawks. It’s rare to see his smile these days so Hawks felt himself give in. 

“You can’t ever repeat it.” Hawks whispered and Toya nodded quickly. “Takami Keigo.”

Toya kept his promise and never said it out loud, though it’s clear that he wanted to. Instead the teen smiled brightly and then Toya wondered if they would have sat next to each other at school since Takami and Todoroki are close in the alphabet. Hawks doesn’t understand why that should matter because they sit next to each other now. 

When Hawks is fifteen, he goes on his first undercover mission for the HPSC. He infiltrated a small smuggling ring that was trafficking teens and it doesn’t even register to him until the mission is over how dangerous it could have been. He had been playing captive and there had been several chances for them to subdue him with drugs but they never did and it had been their mistake. 

It’s a victory. Hawks saved lives and he’s honestly thinking about taking Toya out to celebrate, not that he can tell Toya why they're celebrating, but it doesn’t matter because when they get back to headquarters, the giant HPSC building is engulfed in flames. There was screaming coming from inside and Hawks tried to save as many as he could but his feathers couldn’t hold up to the flames. He tried to find Toya but the guards got a hold of him and Hawks had to be knocked out in order for them to get him to stop using his feathers to save whoever might still be alive. 

It was an accident, or at least that is what Hawks is told. 

Toya was practicing with his quirk before it went out of control. There was nothing that could be done and the teen had died along with many others as the flames had taken over the building. Toya’s flames were indeed stronger than Endeavor’s, and it was all too late. 

Hawks sat on the ground with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and he finally realizes why Endeavor is so desperate. No one can save lives like All Might can, and to know how powerless you are, and how weak you are to the fact that it doesn’t matter how many lives you save -- you can never save them all -- it’s a shock. Heroes are doomed before they even start. 

Hawks is taken to a new facility, an offshoot where they will rest as the HPSC figures out their next steps. The teen doesn’t know how he’s supposed to feel as he walked into his newly assigned room, a small space covered in white with a small window near the ceiling. It feels more like a prison cell and it’s only when Hawks leaves smudges on the wall that he realizes he’s still covered in ash. 

Toya is gone. 

His Endeavor doll was gone. 

Hawks realised as he continued to do missions for the HPSC that he might not actually be a hero. He’s not a villain either, or a vigilante but he’s something else. Maybe he’s something that is needed, something people don’t like to talk about but something that helps heros. 

Hawks wondered what it would take to make a world where no one needed people like him. 

In the aftermath of HPSC going up in flames, Toya’s death was only briefly mentioned on the news. Hawks watched as Endeavor and his children stood in black outside their home for a small press conference before the older man went back inside after not saying a word. The spokesperson for the Endeavor agency was apologetic and the news went on about how amazing the model family had been while also asking the public to give Endeavor’s family space. 

It was all thoughts and prayers out loud while people gossiped in whispers. 

Hawks didn’t think they looked like a model family, he thought they looked cold and broken. Hawks wondered if he looked that way, after all, he had lost Toya too but then he wondered if it was different. He wasn’t family. 

Hawks didn’t have a family. 

Many people were still missing in the aftermath of the fire, most presumed dead, and Hawks found himself only getting bits and pieces of information as he made his rounds through the new headquarters. He had become such a piece of the scenery that no one realized he was there unless he said something. 

Hawks liked to think that freedom came with being underestimated. 

Life carries on and Hawks gets back to work. He knows his purpose now and he’s going to do everything he can to make a future that is easier for heros. He’s going to use the HPSC to make that happen. 

Hawks was sixteen when he had his first wet dream. He honestly nearly had a panic attack when he woke up after dreaming of large masculine hands that held him close but he remembered what he learned in health class and realized that maybe there were some things about him that were normal after all. 

Hawks was seventeen when he got his first assisination mission. A villain too evil and too smart, and too weak against blonds. Hawks stabbed the guy before the man had even finished shutting the hotel room door and then he had made his way back to his room to find a new Endeavor doll waiting for him. 

The teen wondered if this was meant to be a joke from the president and he threw it off the bed before going to the shower. He wasn’t a child anymore and he didn’t need anything to hold on to. 

He still fell asleep with it in his arms later that night. 

Hawks is eighteen when he debuts as a hero. 

At first he’s unsure why the HPSC even wants him to debut, it would put him out in the open but the president insists. The HPSC is thrilled and they help him set up a small agency. They give him a receptionist until Hawks finds his first sidekick, a graduate of Shiketsu who is two years older than Hawks but clearly still wants to make a difference. 

“You should learn to rely on other people.” The sidekick laughs, his elongated body stands over Hawks but he seems to have a good sense of humor. 

“Yeah.” Hawks doesn’t agree. 

Hawks won’t rely on other people, that’s not why he’s here. If he’s going to be a hero, then he’s going to be a hero that can get everything done on his own, he’ll take care of himself. 

Hawks quickly gets a reputation for having a sassy mouth. Something people on the streets seem to love and older heroes seem to find aggravating. The HPSC doesn’t mind, he does what they need him to and Hawks finds himself doing jobs for them on the side whenever they need someone in the hero community to make things go in their favor. 

Occasionally, he still gets missions but it’s clear that they want him to be seen. Nearly thirteen years of his life in the shadows and now they want everyone to know his name. 

Hawks was nineteen when he made the top ten and met Endeavor officially for the first time. He stood on stage with Best Jeanist next to him and they eyed each other before Hawks smiled brightly. He plays his part, flirts with the announcer instead of saying anything before all the heroes disappear to the back room to get ready for another press conference, or to escape said press conference. 

Endeavor and All Might seem to take all the air out of the room and while the other heroes seem to be bored with their interactions, Hawks can’t look away. All Might is nothing but smiles and a beaming personality, while Endeavor . . . Hawks shuddered at the intensity in Endeavor’s gaze when All Might was around. 

He should stay and listen in but Hawks finds himself at a nearby bar and grabs the first man who shows interest. He knows he shouldn’t do this, he was just on television and the last thing he needs is to end up in some gossip magazine because he decided he wanted to lose his virginity to a muscular stranger in a bar bathroom but Hawks doesn’t care. 

The man’s skin is hot to Hawks’ touch, and he stretches Hawks open in a way that is both brutal and pleasurable. It makes Hawks’ wings spread out in the small stall and Hawks’ toes curl when the stranger finally enters him and they both cum together shortly after. 

They kiss briefly, because if Hawks is going to lose his first time he might as well lose all of his first. The man is plain looking but Hawks doesn’t mind because his shoulders are broad and his voice is deep as he tries to convince Hawks to go back to his place. The teen laughs it off and makes his way out the window and into the night sky with a huff. He feels gross in areas that he’s not used to feeling things and Hawks admits that he’s flying a little off center but he makes it back to his apartment in one piece and only jacks himself off once in the shower as he thinks about those cold eyes glaring down at him. 

He honestly might have a problem.

Hawks isn’t sure when his obsession with Endeavor turned from hero worship to sexual attraction but the teen needs to reign it in. Hawks decides to be smarter about his trysts moving forward and decides that's about all he can do at the moment. 

“You know, you’re allowed to take your time.” Hawks new sidekick, after his first left to try out a different agency, sighs. A man in an all black minus a white helmet to his costume. His quirk makes it easy for him to hold many things at once and while he didn’t come from a fancy school, he actually makes a good team with Hawks who doesn’t want to wait to grab everything on the way. 

“What if I don’t want to?” Hawks is genuinely curious if he’s going to keep a sidekick this time around. 

The man just shrugs. “Then I’ll just have to try and keep up.”

Hawks gives him a raise and allows the man to handle all future staffing needs. If the sidekick was surprised, he doesn’t show it, but Hawks honestly loves how efficiently the boring things get done now that he doesn’t have to worry about it. Paperwork is fine to leave to others, Hawks can handle the rest. 

Hawks is twenty when he almost gets caught in the middle fucking an international hero in a closet at the HPSC. They were at the public headquarters and It wasn’t the smartest of moves on his part but he was honestly curious what would happen if he did get caught. Sadly, his instincts were too good and he makes it out with no one knowing the wiser. 

Doesn’t mean he doesn’t point it out to the president when he meets up with her later though. “You know, I fucked Chaos Theory in that closet.”

The older woman blinks before she glances at the closet he’s pointing to before she sighs. “Must have been cramped.”

Hawks doesn’t bother hiding his dalliances after that, afterall, that was basically approval as far as he was concerned. They wanted him to be known, so Hawks made himself known. And if he started making eyes at Endeavor whenever he saw the man at a distance, well, no one called him on it. 

Well, almost no one. 

“If you stare any harder, his wife might notice.” Ryukyu, currently the number nine hero, ruffles Hawks’ hair making the twenty year old skwak at her. “His private life might be private, but he is definitely still married.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t look.” Hawks smirks as he gives her a once over. “Or maybe you’re feeling a little lone-”

“No.” She doesn’t let him finish and smiles before walking away. Hawks only pretends to pout before he turns his attention back to where Endeavor used to be and sighs. The older man left while he was distracted and now the only thing interesting at this party was gone. 

Hawks fucks his way into an older hero that night. He doesn’t mind being on top every now and then and Manual holds onto him as he lifts the older man off the mattress and continues to pound into him. Manual is gasping into Hawks mouth when they both finish, and while it ends up being a one and done sort of deal, Hawks makes sure to wink at Manual every chance he gets afterwards. 

Hawks is twenty one when he makes it to the top three. His two sidekicks are thrilled, and he’s honestly a little surprised that he made it so quickly and that’s saying something. He knows people like him, he’s been near the top of the popularity polls for sometime but it's different standing on stage next to Endeavor. He turns to look at the large man on his right, Endeavor’s flames making the room feel a million times hotter than it needs to be, and Hawks doesn’t know what to say to the man. 

Some nights I hold a doll of you while I sleep? Hey, I knew your dead son. Or maybe something like, have you ever cheated on your wife and if not, would you be willing to make an exception? 

Hawks didn’t want to be murdered on television. 

“You have been doing a fine job, Hawks.” All Might’s voice startles the young hero as he stares at the living legend. He shakes the man’s hand and finds himself actually speechless for once. 

“Get to your spot so we can get this over with.” Endeavor’s voice is like gravel and Hawks lets go of All Might’s hand as the older hero laughs before they all get to their spots. Hawks sees Ryukyu side eye him and can’t help but smirk back at her before he turns his attention to the number two hero. 

“I’m a huge fan.” Hawks hopes he sounds more confident than he feels as he shoves his hands into his pockets and leans into the older man’s space. “You should let me blow you sometime.”

And . . . that had not been what he had been planning to say. 

His stupid mouth. 

“What?” Endeavor sounds pissed and Hawks smiles brightly as he wiggles his wings a bit. 

“Let me, fan your flames if you will.” Hawks almost wishes he would shut up but he can’t. “Happy to support you at any-”

“Shut up and face forward before I burn you to the ground, kid.” Endeavor’s voice silences Hawks and the young hero finds himself facing forward. He tries to look bored through the whole proceeding and is only slightly disappointed when Endeavor leaves straightway. 

There will always be next time, Hawks tells himself. He wishes he could find a way to work with the hero but everyone knows that Endeavor works alone unless it’s absolutely needed. 

No one could keep up with the flame hero. 

Hawks wanted to see if he could. 

“You really are special.” The president of the HPSC laughs when Hawks checks in with her later that week. “Already number three hero in only a few years? No one, and I mean no one, has ever lived up to our expectations like you have.”

“Well, you know me.” Hawks gives her the grin he knows she hates. “I live to please.”

Of course, then it all goes down hill because there is the League of villains. There is Tomura Shigaraki and his cohorts, There is Stain, there is UA under fire, and then there is the end of All Might.

Hawks has to start criticizing the hero industry and he’s happy to do so. He has opinions and he’s fine with people taking his words and interpreting them how they want. He’s purposely ambiguous and he knows that everyone has their eyes on him, good and bad. 

Endeavor officially being named number one hero had been a bittersweet day for Hawks and he couldn’t imagine how Endeavor felt. To finally be at the top spot but to know that the world didn’t think he had earned it. Hawks knew that Endeavor was the right choice, the only choice, to be number one with All Might gone but he couldn’t say that. 

Hawks was officially number two, standing right next to the man that Hawks had idolized his entire life but he still had a job to do. Had his role to play as a young upstart who wasn’t afraid to change the status quo. 

Endeavor had performed perfectly, even if Hawks had been the only one clapping at the end. The young hero could still feel where Endeavor had held him off the ground to yell at him after the ceremony and Hawks wondered if this is what his future held, if this is what it meant to be number two, to always be within reach of Endeavor. 

“I can’t believe you said that stuff on television.” Hawks didn’t bother to respond as the large man he was currently sucking off talked down to him. He was a pro hero, someone who also needed discretion, and they both took advantage of each other when they had the chance. Honestly, this had probably been Hawks longest lasting relationship if he really thought about it. 

Hawks didn’t want to think about it. 

“If you wanted to cause a stir that bad, I could just take a picture with your mouth stretched out like this and send it to the media.” Hawks hummed, his face flushed as he sucked down Mister Blaster’s cock even more and the older man groaned. It didn’t take long to finish the man off, it honestly never did when they were both in the mood, and Hawks figured it was the best way to end their mutual acquaintanceship. “Mah, hope you don’t mind but this will be the last time.”

If Mister Blaster cared, he didn’t look like it. The man just shrugged. “Figured, you’re number two now and after the shit you said today, more people are going to be looking at you.”

Hawks just smiled because the hero had no idea how true that statement was. 

Then there was the team up, and the high-end nomu. Hawks had honestly wanted to spend the day with Endeavor before fulfilling Dabi’s request but it seemed like Dabi had other plans. Hawks regretting dragging Endeavor into the mess instantly, it would have been so much easier before he had started to get to know the man. 

Got to know the Endeavor who failed as a husband but wanted to change. 

The Endeavor who was a terrible father but wanted to be better. 

The Endeavor who was the number one hero but wanted to be stronger. 

If Mirko hadn’t shown up, Hawks wasn’t sure what would have happened. He definitely would have tried to take Dabi out, he wasn’t going to let the villain kill Endeavor off after Endeavor’s spectacular performance as number one hero but thankfully Hawks hadn’t had to worry about it for long. Mirko showed up and saved the day. 

“You boys having fun yet?” Mirko laughed with a vicious grin and Hawks would have wanted to talk with her more but Endeavor was fading in his arms. 

“Any chance you called the hospital before you jumped in?” Hawks smiled at her and she huffed. 

“I’m not new like you, number two.” Mirko, for a rabbit, had a very threatening look about her. Hawks stared at her thighs for a moment and wondered how many people had died between those muscles. Mirko snapped her fingers at him. “Hey, you’re too young to ride this ride so keep your eyes up here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Hawks straightened his posture before pulling more of Endeavor’s weight on him. The man was clearly out of it and Hawks was not above taking advantage of the situation. The younger man sighed as he tried to wipe the blood out of Endeavor’s face. “Shit, this is going to scar.”

“Endeavor won’t care.” Mirko started stretching her legs before she knelt to help Hawks take the man to a place where the ambulance could get him. Other heros jumped into the scene to take care of the nomu but Hawks kept his eyes on Endeavor. He rubbed his thumb against the man’s cheek to clear some of the ash before he felt for the man’s pulse only to pause as Mirko snorted at him. “Man, Endeavor won’t care about but clearly you will. Scars are sexy, don’t worry about it.”

“I’m not.” Hawks huffed but Mirko just laughed at him. 

“You know everyone talks about how you can’t keep your eyes off the man. Tell me what it is, hero worship? Like married men?” Mirko stopped only when the medics showed up to cart the man away. “Want to ride with him back to the-”

“Actually, do you mind? Need to check something out.” Hawks smiled sheepishly and Mirko just rolled her eyes as she got in the ambulance with Endeavor and they drove off. Hawks wished he could go with the man but he needed to follow up with Dabi, and he needed to follow up fast. 

None of this was what they had agreed to. 

Thankfully Hawks feathers could grow back quickly, even if it itched like hell when they did and so Hawks hadn’t been without a weapon when he had met up with Dabi later. There was something about the villain that set Hawks on edge, like Dabi knew something about Hawks that he shouldn’t but Hawks had been careful. 

He was going to get the job done at any cost. 

But some costs weren’t worth it. 

Hawks stared at the scar as Endeavor filled out paperwork to leave the hospital. If the older man cared that Hawks was staring, he didn’t react, but Hawks couldn’t stop staring at the mark on the man’s face. 

Dabi had been a step ahead and Hawks had nearly lost his hero. 

“If you want to be of use, grab my bag from the room while I sign this.” Endeavor’s voice was soft and it made Hawks send one of his feathers instantly. He knew the older man had been trying to get him to leave but Hawks didn’t need to leave to get the job done so he stayed and stared. Endeavor just sighed and took the suitcase when it rolled over to him. The older man gave the nursing staff a bow. “Thank you.”

Hawks wouldn’t be afraid to admit that his heart skipped a beat with all the other nurses as the man made his way to the elevators. Endeavor, for all his desperation and anger over the years, was a well mannered rich good looking bastard. 

“Hawks.” Endeavor didn’t yell but he didn’t need to because Hawks was always already at his side. 

“Yes, Endeavor-san! Are you okay?” Hawks could only flutter for a few seconds with the feathers that he had as he smiled at the larger man. His smile dimmed at the sight of the large scar and the young hero couldn’t help himself as he reached out to touch it, his fingers gliding against the side of Endeavor’s face. 

“Disappointed?” Endeavor’s voice was flat and Hawks had no idea what the man meant but the younger hero could only answer honestly. 

“I would never be disappointed in you, Endeavor-san.” Hawks' words sounded too breathless but he didn’t have time to think about the look that Endeavor gave him because the older man was pushing him away as the elevator doors opened and allowed the two heroes inside. 

Hawks had been startled when Endeavor suggested they worked together again and the young hero wondered if this was a sign of trust. Hawks had kept up with Endeavor, Hawks had stayed by his side . . . only it didn’t feel right. 

They parted ways shortly after that and Hawks had to fight down the knot of guilt that twisted in his stomach as he made his way over to his meeting with the HPSC. They would want an update from what he learned from Dabi and then he would have to update Dabi on some news from the HPSC. It was twisted and Hawks needed to keep his wits about him but it would be worth it, in the end, if this created the future that Hawks wanted. Only then would this be worth it. 

Then there had been the rest of the League of Villains as Hawks was finally allowed into the legion of followers, never fully in, never fully trusted, but he would make it work the best he could. Hawks had to fake Best Jeanist’s murder as another test and Hawks had almost been certain he would fail but then he had been able to do it. He wondered if he should be worried about how easy some of this stuff had come to him. 

Was he really a hero if he could do things like this?

It wasn’t Best Jeanist but it was still a body. Hawks didn’t think about who the corpse had been but tried to think of the lives that would be saved as he handed it over to Dabi. 

He texted Endeavor all the time. 

Small things. Pictures of food. Makeup tips. 

The night Hawks learned the truth of the nomus, he submitted his report to the HPSC and sent Endeavor a pick up line. The man never responded. 

The day Hawks finally put together the truth behind All For One, he drank a bottle of scotch on his own and sent Endeavor texts that rated Endeavor’s costumes from Hawks favorite to Hawks most favorite. He fanboyed so hard that he had actually been embarrassed when he woke up the next day. 

The man never responded but for some reason Hawks couldn’t stop himself. He constantly checked in, letting the man know what he was eating or what kind of crime he solved that day. He would send pictures of himself making duck face with his sidekicks, and the one rare one where he took a pic after a shower just to see if the older man would respond. 

Each message was marked ‘read’ but never once did Endeavor text him back. 

When Hawks wasn’t distracted with his one-sided obsession he befriended Twice. They worked together and shared stories and the weird villain reminded Hawks of a young kid who would do anything for his family. A young kid that died all the same, and Hawks’ smiles would strain sometimes but the hero pushed through. 

Then there was the Meta Liberation Front. 

Then the Paranormal Liberation Front. 

Hawks stared at Endeavor as he handed off the books. It was the only warning he could give the other man but he hoped Endeavor would see. Had faith the older man would see everything. 

Even if it meant revealing Hawks' role in all of this, showing Endeavor the ugly side of the young hero. But Hawks’ back wasn’t big enough to carry the weight of the world and Hawks wasn’t ready to see Endeavor get destroyed underneath it all either. 

Hawks wanted to make a world where Endeavor didn’t have to try so hard. 

A future where symbols weren’t needed, people were. 

The day before the Jaku General Hospital incident, Hawks had sat on the roof of the hidden headquarters of the Paranormal LIberation Front and had broken protocol only for a moment to text Endeavor. He scrolled through the history of texts he had sent over the months and found himself smiling a bit as he sent possibly his last message.  
_When this is all over, let me cook you a meal. I make a mean fried chicken._

Hawks laughed as he hit send and before he over thought it, he typed out another message. 

_If you eat all your veggies, I’ll give you something special for dessert._

Endeavor didn’t text back and Hawks didn’t expect him to. The young spy got to his feet before making his way back inside, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to really sleep in a place like this but also knowing that he would need to get his rest. 

He ended up killing Twice not even half a day later. 

Hawks hadn’t wanted to kill Twice. Bubaigawara hadn’t been a bad man, not really, he had just been lost and Hawks had wanted to save him. 

But Hawks should have known better, he couldn’t save anyone. 

His hands were too dirty. 

He wasn’t a hero. 

Everything Hawks had hoped for had gone up in flames. 

Dabi, the sadistic bastard, had known who Hawks had been the whole time. Had used Hawks for his own motives, not for Shigaraki, but his own motives of destroying heroes because Dabi hated heroes. Dabi knew Hawks' name and flaunted that knowledge as he tried to burn the blond alive. Knowing that Dabi was Toya, that not only had Hawks failed to save Toya from the fire but he had failed to look for his friend afterwards to the point where Toya was now this thing in front of him. 

Hawks would have never known if Dabi hadn’t said those words, and it was like losing Toya all over again. Whatever had been left of Toya at some point had been burned out into the psychopathic shell of Dabi. 

Knowing that Dabi was Toya had seemed like a fitting end for Hawks’ story after killing Twice. Twice, a man with good intentions but the wrong friends. Toya, a broken kid who just wanted to save his family. Both of them died because Hawks hadn’t been fast enough and now Hawks got to face the twisted ghost of Toya as the man burned his wings off. 

The pain had been worse than anything Hawks had ever felt, and he knew he would never forget. If he survived this, he knew he would spend the rest of his life waking up screaming due to the phantom pain of those blue flames. 

Hawks barely remembered Tokoyami. 

He didn’t remember anything else. 

When Hawks woke up in the hospital, the fight was over. Shigaraki, Dabi, and whoever was left of the Paranormal Liberation Front had escaped thanks to a giant beast like man. So many heroes, villains, and civilians were dead. 

Hawks had failed. 

All the stains on his hands weren’t worth it because Hawks had been powerless at the end of the day. Who had he thought he was, someone who could get his hands dirty to save the heros he respected? He was nobody. 

He didn’t even have a name. 

“You're officially retired.” The president of the HPSC stood beside his hospital bed after Hawks had managed to stay awake for longer than an hour. The woman looked tired as she handed him an envelope. “Thank you for your service, your retirement package has been sent to your office. The sidekicks will keep it open for the time being but consider your job with the HPSC done, you will be taken care of but we no longer need your services.”

Having Twice’s blood on his hands hadn’t been worth this. 

“Hawks.” Her voice was soft and he found himself staring at her even though he felt like he couldn’t see her. She reached over to place a hand on his bandaged arm and sighed. “Thank you for everything you’ve done but you can stop now. You can rest.”

Hawks just stared forward until he heard her leave the room. The folder sat in his lap unopened and Hawks placed it next to his bed before staring out the window. He didn’t know how long he had stared out the window before suddenly the door to his room was slamming open. He had tried to send a feather to stop the intruder but nothing happened because . . . of course nothing would happen. He didn’t have wings anymore, so instead of stopping Tokoyami, Hawks suddenly found himself being squeezed by the young teen. 

“They wouldn’t let me see you!” The teen sobbed and Hawks had no idea why this kid was so loyal to him. 

Hawks wasn’t worth it. 

“I heard you were okay but I had to see for myself.” Tokoyami took a step back and even Dark Shadow seemed to be doing its best to make sure Hawks was in good condition. “Do you need anything? A doctor? Is there someone I should call? Your fam-”

“I’m fine.” Hawks placed his hand on Tokoyami’s head and ruffled the kid’s feathers with a smile. “You’re a good kid, you know that right?”

Tokoyami and Dark Shadow both blushed at the praise and Hawks forced a smile to his face. He didn’t have a purpose anymore but that didn’t mean he would make this kid worry about him. He had learned what had happened that day, or at least, parts of it from Fat Gum and other parts from Hawks own sidekicks who had spoken with Tokoyami. He was able to learn about what happened after they had escaped Dabi, after Hawks had passed out from blood loss and pain. The horror this kid had faced on his own as he had fought to save Hawks’ useless worthless life. 

The second time Hawks woke up, Endeavor was sitting next to his bed. The older man had a book in his lap and reading glasses and it took Hawks a few seconds to realize the man was in a wheelchair. He must have made a chirping noise because the older man glanced up with a frown. “What’s wrong?”

Hawks’ body was on fire, he was in so much pain he thought he was going to pass out again but that wasn’t the problem. Was Endeavor okay? Could he walk? Had Hawks made things worse? 

Had Hawks done that bad of a job?

“Shhh.” The older man seemed to be confused by Hawks’ noises and got to his feet. The mere action made Hawks let out a sigh of relief that had Endeavor look even more confused but it seemed like the older hero was able to guess about why Hawks was reacting the way he was because he finally explained. “The chair is for my lungs, one is still healing so I’m not allowed to be too active without supervision. I only had minor overheating, thanks to Shoto’s ice, but my right lung was punctured and I suffered from internal bleeding. Recovery Girl has taken care of most of it, but she wants to let the lung heal on its own for a bit before she takes care of the rest.”

“So . . .” Hawks tried to smirk, as he took another shuddering breath to force the words out through the pain. “You’re alive then?”

Endeavor had the audacity to give him a soft smile at that as the older man chuckled. “Yes, Hawks, I’m alive.”

Hawks blacked out after that, but he felt it was for the best. He would have offered to blow the older man again in his pained state and it would not have ended well for anyone involved. 

He would wake up with small fever dreams, they had to be dreams, Hawks thought because he didn’t understand why other heroes kept visiting him. Why would he wake up with Mirko pushing the hair out of his eyes one moment and another with Endeavor holding his wrist and telling him it was okay. Was he talking in his sleep? Sometimes Tokoyami was there, sometimes it was a man in a suit that would put Hawks on edge. 

One time it was Dabi, and Hawks knew it was a nightmare as the man set the hospital on fire and Hawks burned alive. The young hero woke up gasping, he tried to get up but a large hand kept him in place as he tried to figure out what was happening only to see Endeavor staring down at him. “It was a dream. You’re at the hospital.”

And if Hawks had to bite back his words as tears streamed down his face, well, Endeavor was only being nice out of pity and Hawks would take it for now. 

Another time Hawks woke, he felt closer to normal, as normal as someone waking up with missing parts of themselves could feel anyway. His wings were truly gone, Dabi melted the bone and muscle to the point where Hawks was going to need physical therapy for years most likely. 

His wings were never going to grow back. 

Not this time. 

“Thank you.” Hawks stared at the bandaged man who was sitting next to his bed in yet another wheelchair. This time Hawks could see why a wheelchair was needed with the bandaged man’s wrapped leg that was missing the part below the knee. He had heard about what Eraserhead had done, but it was another thing entirely to see it in person. 

Eraserhead was a badass. 

“Eraserhead, I don’t-”

“I know what you did and about the information you got in order to set the whole thing up.” The man sighed as he stared at Hawks. “If you hadn’t been on the inside, a lot more people would have died. I didn’t lose any students, and it was thanks to your hard work.”

Hawks clenched his jaw at that, not sure why the man was lying to him like this so instead he turned away. He wasn’t going to argue with someone who had given up so much on the mission. 

“I just came by to tell you that there is a hit on you.” Eraserhead waited for Hawks to look at him again. “A contact reached out to let me know, he’s not usually the type to see this sort of stuff so since he’s seen it, it means it went wide.”

Hawks wondered if the HPSC had decided to silence him before he glanced at the envelope on his side table. No, they wouldn't do that, they had retired him instead. No point in killing him physically when they already crippled him everywhere else. 

Hawks turned his attention to the man sitting in the chair and found himself shrugging before he flinched at the sharp pain. “Could be worse.”

Hawks didn’t have to think too hard to figure out who would put a hit on him. It was Dabi, couldn’t be anyone else. Dabi was trying to play some sort of game and Hawks would have no choice but to be a piece on the board for now. 

They stared at each other for a few moments before Eraserhead sighed again and sat back in the chair with a huff. The man finally agreed. “It could always be worse.”

Hawks got a few other visitors, including Endeavor’s interns. Deku and Bakugo were both a little worse for wear but it was clear that Recovery Girl had seen them both. Shoto seemed in better shape but he seemed unsure of how to talk to Hawks and it only took a few moments before Hawks realized that maybe they didn’t know he was retired. 

“I heard that you all were amazing. If it wasn’t for your quick actions, a lot more people would have died.” Hawks smiled and all three teens blushed at the praise even as Bakugo glared at him. “I’m glad you all made it out all right.”

“As if we would let a fucking ugly bastard like that kill us.” Bakugo growled and Deku placed a hand on the blond’s arm as if he was trying to calm Bakugo down. Bakugo looked like he was about to shout again but quieted instead and Hawks couldn’t help but see the light in the blond’s eyes as Bakugo stared at Deku. 

Ah, youth. 

“Do you know when you’ll be released?” Shoto seemed genuinely curious and Hawks wondered how the kid would react if he said something like, hey, your dead brother tried to kill me. Instead, Hawks settled on something else. 

“They should have a press conference soon to officially retire me, and then I’ll be free to go once the doctors say I can leave.” Hawks rubbed the back of his neck and the teens flinched as he mentioned retirement which made his earlier instincts seem correct. The kids hadn’t known, he wondered if Tokoyami knew. “My wings are gone for good.”

“We hadn’t-” Deku started and Hawks was saved from an awkward conversation because the door slammed open to reveal Hawks’ sidekicks. 

“Boss!” 

It was the day before the press conference that Hawks found himself awake in the middle of the night. He had chosen the time he was going to leave, with or without permission, and had decided to stay one more night to rest. He got to his feet and decided to walk around the halls and somehow found himself in front of Endeavor’s room. Hawks almost worried about how easy it had been to get into the number one hero’s room but he decided to not think too hard about it as he took a seat next to the old man’s bed and just stared at the sleeping hero. 

Hawks tapped his fingers against his own chest for a moment as he just watched Endeavor breathe. 

If only he had been stronger, or faster, or smarter. Hawks cursed at himself as he ran his hands through his hair before covering his face. Endeavor was alive but so many others had died, all because Hawks had failed. 

He had fucking failed. 

“It’s rude to watch someone sleep.” Endeavor’s sleep rough voice was amazing and Hawks slid his hands down so that he could look at the older man that was staring at him. 

“It’s only rude if you get caught, Endeavor-san.” Hawks smirked as he let his hands fall in his lap. He sighed and didn’t bother to hide the fact that he was staring as his eyes traveled over the man. 

The older man grumbled as he sat up in the bed before looking at the younger blond. “Your staring is too blatant, you must always get caught.”

Oh, if Endeavor only knew the amount of times Hawks had stared. 

“Nightmares?” Endeavor glanced at the clock before looking back at Hawks. Clearly wondering why the younger man was still awake. 

“Would you tuck me in if I said yes?” Hawks smiled and Endeavor actually rolled his eyes and it made Hawks smile a bit bigger before he shook his head. “I’m fine, I just wanted a change of scenery.”

“All the rooms look the same.” Endeavor huffed before he held up his hand so that Hawks wouldn’t say anything, clearly anticipating Hawk’s way with words. The blond just smiled before he sighed and got to his feet, Endeavor seemed confused by the action. “Leaving?”

“Just realized I should probably-” Hawks stopped as a hand grabbed his wrist and he glanced up to see Endeavor staring at him with a frown. They stared at each other for a moment before Hawks felt a little brave and twisted his arm so that he was gripping Endeavor back. “Endeavor-san . . .”

Hawks knew he wasn’t as quick anymore, not with the way his body screamed at him due to his injuries and not without his wings but he still found himself in the older man’s space. Hawks’ free hand reached up to touch Endeavor’s scar, the mark his hero would wear forever because Hawks had failed him. The younger man couldn’t hold back the twittering sound that left his throat as he touched the rough skin. “I’m so-” 

“I already told you that my injuries are my own responsibility and no one elses.” Endeavor’s voice was firm and Hawks was already shaking his head. Endeavor would never know the extent of Hawks’ responsibilities. Of Hawks’ failures. 

Hawks would never want him to. 

And now Hawks knew Endeavor’s dead kid was actually alive but he wasn’t going to tell the man. His sins against Endeavor were just adding up over and over again. 

Endeavor’s left hand grabbed onto Hawks’ hand that was still touching the older man’s face as Endeavor frowned at him. Hawks motioned to move away but Endeavor held on his hand and Hawks found himself staring at the man in the eyes. His cool icy gaze made Hawks’ chest twist with a familiar feeling. 

This wasn’t supposed to happen. 

This couldn’t happen. 

There was a glint in the dark room and Hawks realized the coldness he felt on his hand was coming from Endeavor’s wedding band. The blond sucked in a breath as he yanked his hand back then, unable to think of anything else other than the fact that he shouldn’t be touching Endeavor. 

Endeavor wasn’t his to touch. 

“Hawks-” Endeavor started but Hawks shook his head. 

“I’m going back to my room. I’ll see you later, yeah?” Hawks kept his tone light but he didn’t bother to look back as he made his way back to his own room and sunk down on the mattress as he gasped for breath. 

What the hell had he been thinking?

Stupid. 

He was so stupid. 

Hawks managed to avoid any visitors the next morning, people were out and about getting ready for the press conference and he conveniently hid away in an empty room until he knew the conference had started. He had managed to grab some clothes from the nurses’ locker room and had convinced his physical therapist to give him all the instructions he needed printed out. 

Leaving the hospital ended up being a lot easier than Hawks thought it would be. 

He made his way to his apartment only to change clothes again. When he finally opened the envelope from HPSC, it was standard retirement paperwork but the thing that surprised him was identification for Takami Keigo. They had given him his old name back . . . because he wasn’t a hero anymore. Maybe it had been meant as encouragement, something to tell Hawks that even without his wings he still had a life to live but all Hawks could see was a future he hadn’t wanted. It made the man want to cry but instead he shoved the identification into his bag he was packing. He grabbed the cash he had hidden away, wondered if he could still access his old bank accounts, and basically grabbed anything he might need now that he was on his own. 

He left the Endeavor doll on his bed, knowing that there was no point in lugging something like that around with him but it felt a bit cathartic. His first doll, the gift from his parents, had gone up in flames with Toya’s demise. This doll, the gift from the president who raised him, he was going to abandon just like the HPSC was abandoning him. 

All in all, Hawks' whole life could be fit into two small bags and the blond didn’t know if he should be impressed or sad. He wrote out a note that just said ‘I’m outtie’ before he tied it to his apartment key and left it for his landlord. 

It had been a nice place to live but it hadn’t been home. 

Hawks wasn’t allowed to have a home. 

Closing the Hawks Agency took no time. It was almost sad how easy it was to find the things he needed and Hawks felt bad for his sidekicks. They would be confused but they would understand, he hoped they would continue to work after this . . . he honestly hoped they would get their official hero license. They were good enough, even if he had never told them. 

He hoped they knew. 

Hawks left the lease with his signature to break it on top, as well as instructions for any projects they had left open. He left his keys, his transportation pass that he never used, and anything else that he had bought for the office specifically. He didn’t need his movements traced and while he trusted his sidekicks, he needed to be aware of Dabi hit against him. 

Instead of a bird, Hawks was beginning to feel like a mouse in this game Dabi wanted to play. 

Once he was with everything he could do, he made his way over to the ATM that was nearby and was pleased to see his Hawks account wasn’t closed yet. He pulled out all the cash he could and made sure to wink at the camera before he shoved the money in his bag. He made a production of throwing away his hero id, his hero card and everything else he had on him that would identify him as Hawks. 

He didn’t need it anymore. 

The sun was bright and Hawks wondered if the press conference was over as he started to make his way through the back alleys. Public safety surveillance cameras could only reach so far and Hawks wanted to disappear without a trace. 

The man took a deep breath as his phone buzzed, reminding him that he still needed to get rid of it. He saw that he had several missed calls from the hospital, from his sidekicks, and from Tokoyami. That meant they would be looking for him soon and it wouldn’t be long before they found everything that he left behind. 

The ex-hero blinked as a text pulled up on his screen from Endeavor. 

**Endeavor-san:**  
_Where are you?_

Hawks blinked again. 

After all this time? After every message that Hawks had sent, after everything they’ve been through together, this was the time that Endeavor texted him back?

Hawks let out a pained laugh, he felt like he was suffocating as every part of him wanted to call Endeavor, to tell the man everything and to see what was left of them when it was all said and done. Instead Hawks turned off his phone and threw it to the ground, watching it shatter as he took a gasping breath. If he really wanted things to be done, really wanted Endeavor to never look at him again then he would tell the man everything but . . . Hawks wasn’t ready for that. Hawks bent down to pick up the pieces of his phone and made sure to separate the battery and crush the sim card, he shoved the parts in the nearest dumpster and took off. 

He couldn’t stay here. He needed to get to somewhere as far away from his hero life as possible and then he could stop for a moment and think. 

Turned out, love hotels were perfect places for him to hole up for a few hours and no one asked questions about why he checked in alone. If anything, the staff would look at the burns that he couldn’t cover with his long sleeved shirt and give him a sad look but Hawks didn’t care. 

In the first hotel Hawks had shaved his facial hair and cut his hair short, it had been annoying because Hawks had liked his look but he needed to make sure no one thought of the old number two hero when they saw him. Instead of wearing his yellow shades, he bought a pair of tacky reflective sunglasses, they weren’t the same but they would make sure his sensitive eyes didn’t sting when he concentrated too hard. 

Instead of his trademark jacket and tan colors, Hawks settled for black and baggy. He still had to roll the pants up, not wanting to trip over them, but he had to admit that he didn’t even recognize himself in the mirror sometimes. 

Running from hotel to hotel was how he lived for weeks. Hawks would do physical therapy on his own and was slowly getting more and more of his movement back. He avoided pain medication and made a point to buy a new phone with cash. Burner phones were getting harder to come by but Hawks was able to make some contacts who would help him out, at the right price of course, and it had been easy to navigate between society and shadows. 

He’d been trained for this after all. 

It was only two months after the Jaku General Hospital incident that Hawks woke up to the notice on the news of an apartment building that burned down in his hometown. His real hometown, not the place the HPSC had set him up. He stared wide eyed as a picture of an older couple appeared on the screen, the only deaths in the strange fire. 

Hawks hadn’t realized that he had gotten his mother’s face and his father’s hair until that moment. He had honestly been surprised that he recognized them at all, but they both stared back at him on the screen and Hawks blinked as it finally all set in. 

Dabi had killed his parents. 

Hawks had thought the longer he had stayed in hiding that eventually Dabi would come for him but he hadn’t expected this. Was it because of Twice? Hawks didn’t think so. Dabi had shown that he wasn’t capable of remorse when Hawks had killed Twice in front of the villain. Was it something else? Something personal? Was it Dabi’s revenge for Hawks not being able to save the teen when they were younger?

Why Hawks parents?

Why hadn’t the HPSC stopped this? Weren’t they supposed to be watching Hawks' family this whole time? Or was this an effort to get him out of hiding, now that he was officially Takami Keigo again?

Was Hawks supposed to mourn?

Was there something wrong with him, that the death of Twice brough more feelings to him than the death of his own parents?

 _There are no true heroes._

He needed to move, the longer he stayed in one place, the higher the chances that Dabi would find him and Hawks wasn’t ready for a rematch, not yet. While he was moving far more freely than the doctors had told him he would be able to, Hawks needed to get used to his new body before he faced the man. 

The blond wasn’t ready to die, not yet. 

Before Hawks did eventually end it all, he wanted to figure out what had really happened to Toya. He needed to find out how a kind and weak boy had turned into a heartless psychopath, how the son of a hero had turned into the villain known as Dabi. 

Had the HPSC lied to him when they had told him Dabi had died?

Had they been so quick to retire him because they were hiding something. He hadn’t told them everything in his final report and now he was wondering if something else was going on. The HPSC had raised him, had taught him how to live in the shadows and now he was going to take advantage of it as he looked into what really happened the night that the HPSC went up in flames. His senses were dulled without the wings, he couldn’t sense as much as he used to, but he could still see, he could still hear, and he could still think. 

He wasn’t powerless. 

His first stop was the Todoroki estate. He waited for everyone to be gone before he slipped through security. There was a chance that he would be spotted later if someone reviewed the cameras but he had to take it as he made his way through the giant house. 

Endeavor’s home was nice. 

Hawks didn’t touch anything but he wanted to. He wanted to run his hand along the walls and picture what life had been like here. Endeavor had grown up here as a child before his parents had passed at an early age, had the home been filled with love or had Endeavor’s parents been filled with ambition like the older man? Endeavors own family had grown up here and he wondered if the rooms were filled with happy memories or bitter ones. 

Hawks knew that the Endeavor he had gotten to know over the past few months was not the same Endeavor he had learned about from Toya but that didn’t mean the past hadn’t happened. 

Hawks wondered if Endeavor felt comfortable here or if this place was more like a prison filled with his past mistakes. 

He had been sure what he was going to find in this home. It had been pretty obvious that the whole Todoroki family thought Toya was dead but Hawks had to be sure. Maybe he could find evidence that Toya had been forced into the HPSC, that Endeavor had wanted to get rid of the weak link of a son. Or maybe evidence that Toya going to the HPSC had been a manipulation from the HPSC all together. They couldn’t get their hands on All Might’s power so they settled for number two’s? Hawks didn’t know but the only thing he found in the house related to Toya was a giant shrine in an empty room. 

Was this guilt? Remorse? Something else?

He stared at the offerings to see that they were fresh, clearly replaced every day. Incense was still burning and Hawks wondered which kid lit it before they had headed out for the day. Had it been Fuyumi, before she went off to teach at her job? Or Natsuo before he left for classes? Shoto was already back in the dorms to finish out his first year at UA. 

Could it have been Endeavor?

Hawks wanted to tell the older man that there was no need to mourn but he couldn’t. Not yet. 

He found a small closet with storage in the shrined room and was able to find some keepsakes from what must have been Toya’s old room. All the boxes were covered in dust and clearly hadn’t been touched in years but Hawks didn’t worry about that as he opened them up to see what he couldn’t find. If anyone was suspicious of his actions, or learned he had been here, it would be hard to hide the fact that he was looking through Toya’s things. 

Maybe he should stop by Endeavor’s room, just to see?

Hawks face actually heated up at the thought and he shook his head. That wasn’t the point of this visit. The blond paused as he found a set of notebooks that looked worn out. He inspected them to realize they were Toya’s childhood journals, with a cheap lock and everything. Hawks didn’t have the time to read them here so he shoved him the small bag he had brought with himself and did his best to restore everything as it had been. 

Dabi was after Hawks for now but the blond knew it was only a matter of time before the flame villain went after Endeavor. Dabi had never hid his desire to take down heroes but in particular, he had seemed to target Endeavor from the beginning. While the current hit was on Hawks, the ex-hero wasn’t ready to see who would win if Dabi and Endeavor really went at it. 

Would Endeavor falter if he knew Dabi was his kid? 

Dabi would definitely use that fact to slow Endeavor down, and then Dabi would kill him. 

Hawks left the Todoroki estate with the journals to go through but otherwise nothing really new to show for his search on Dabi. He had a brief thought of visiting Endeaovr’s wife but he quickly threw that idea away, he would just be hurting himself and an an innocent woman in the process. No, his next step would be the HPSC. 

Or it should have been. 

Hawks stared at the giant screen on the building with the rest of the crowd as they watched the news report of two heroes found dead in their agency that morning. They had been found as burnt corpses but there had been no evidence of fire, the police were reporting that it was most likely the work of a villain but they had no leads as of yet. The crowd murmured in surprise, these were the first hero deaths since the Jaku General Hospital incident but every hero loss felt like a huge weight to the public. Hawks felt like he had been cut in half as he stared at the photos of his two sidekicks, the two who had worked with him when he had ‘retired’ on the screen. 

“Bodies have been identified as-”

Hawks barely managed to stumble into an alley before he puked the iced coffee he had been drinking. The cool beverage had dropped on the ground and was spilling everywhere but Hawks didn’t care. He tripped over his feet before he huddled against the nearest wall and curled in on himself. He missed his wings that could block out the world as he tried to get his thoughts in order. 

His sidekicks. 

Why kill his sidekicks? They hadn’t been involved with any of Hawks undercover missions, and they hadn’t been involved with the HPSC. 

Had Dabi been disappointed that Hawks hadn’t reacted to his parents death? Had Dabi wanted to drag Haws out in the open with the death of these two good men who had done nothing wrong? If Hawks didn’t come out now, who would be next?

Tokoyami. 

Dabi would go after Hawks’ intern, he would find the kid that saved Hawks’ life. Honestly, the more Hawks thought about it, the more he was surprised Hawks was that Dabi hadn’t gotten to the kid earlier. 

Was Dabi saving something special for Tokoyam?

Hawks couldn’t let it happen. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t reach out to the teen directly, if he did he knew Tokoyami would demand to join Hawks and the ex-hero couldn’t have the kid do that. Tokoyami was going to be an amazing hero and he didn’t need to be blemished by Hawks, not anymore than he already was. No, Hawks couldn’t go to Tokoyami directly but he could find someone that cared for the kid as much as he did. 

Someone who wouldn’t try to stop Hawks from leaving if they saw each other. 

Breaking into UA had been harder than Hawks had thought it would be. He imagined that they had probably upped their security immensely over the past year and couldn’t blame them. There were only so many times their students could be targeted before the school needed to realize that safety had to be a priority. It didn’t take him long to find the teacher’s dorms and Hawks hoped he wouldn’t regret this. 

That said, he should have been prepared to have a knife at his throat as soon as he had opened the window to Erasehead’s apartment but he’d honestly been surprised that he had been discovered so quickly as Eraserhead glared at him. Hawks wondered if the older man recognized him with his new look but it seemed that the hero did even though the man didn’t drop the knife at all as he growled. “Hawks, you're alive.”

Maybe his disguise wasn’t as good as he thought it was.

“Long time no see.” Hawks kept his voice quiet. “We need to talk.” 

“Choose a different window next time.” Eraserhead lowered the knife to let the ex-hero in and that’s when Hawks realized he was standing in a little girl’s room. He blinked before he turned his attention to the hallway that had a tall blond and a little girl staring at him. 

Eri. 

And Knighteye’s protege. 

Hawks hadn’t thought about either of them since he had disappeared at the hospital and as he watched Eraserhead limp with a crutch out of the room, he wondered if he should have expected this. Of course Eraserhead had taken the girl. 

Didn’t explain the big kid though. 

“Shhh.” The big blond gave Hawks a look before smiling at the girl who seemed upset that her space had been invaded. “How about we go to Aizawa-sensei’s room instead? We can watch the movie you wanted.”

“But, Mirio-nii . . .” The girl gave Hawks a scared look and Hawks smiled brightly at her, knowing that he couldn’t redeem himself as he stood there in all black after crawling through her window. 

“I’m just going to talk to Eraserhead for a moment and then I’ll be gone.” Hawks put his hands up in the air so that she could see he had no weapons. “I just need to pass a message.”

Eri bit her lip and Hawks wanted to laugh as she gave him a doubtful look before Mirio sent Hawks a glare and turned to look over at where Eraserhead was now sitting in the living room. “Aizawa-sensei?”

“It’s fine. Go watch your movie and I’ll join you shortly.” It seemed that neither kid needed to be told anything else before they disappeared down the hall and Hawks wanted to make a comment but he stopped as Aizawa glared at him. “Tell me why I shouldn’t drag you to Tokoyami right now, that kid has been worried sick about you. Hell, a lot of people have been worried about you.”

“I can’t stay long.” Hawks cut to the chase, as much as he wanted to make jokes he didn’t have time. “You’re the one who told me about the hit on me, so you should know that it’s still active.” 

Eraserhead nodded. 

“Dabi isn’t waiting for me anymore, he’s coming after anyone who had anything to do with me.” Hawks clenched his jaw at the thought. “I need you to keep Tokoyami under security.”

Eraserhead stared at Hawks for a moment before he tilted his head back. “Your sidekicks.”

“And my parents.” Hawks admitted only to see Eraserhead tense at that. The man was about to apologize but Hawks moved on. “I have an old sidekick who moved to the States last year and Tokoyami is the only other person I could think about that is still in japan. He’s possibly next on Dabi’s list.”

“You mean he’s the only one who might be easy to get that’s on Dabi’s list.” Eraserhead rubbed the top part of his left leg as if massaging it before the man glanced up at Hawks again. Hawks didn’t deny it, Dabi most likely had a whole list of heroes he wanted to go over after but the villain couldn’t just walk into Endeavor’s agency without getting arrested. Eraserheard sighed. “Who knows?”

“No one.” 

Eraserhead swore before he took a deep breath. “I’ll talk with Ryukyu, all the students are taking off for the rest of the year and we’ll start internships again when their second year starts. Ryukyu won’t need the details to know to keep a strict eye on him, and she would be a good fit for him.”

If Hawks made it out of this alive, he was going to take Ryukyu on a date. Neither of them had any feelings for each other but he knew she wouldn’t mind being pampered for a day. Maybe he would take Eraserhead on a date too, but Hawks had a feeling the man would rather just stab the younger ex-hero. 

“Thank you.” It was really all Hawks could say, he didn’t really know Eraserhead and the man didn’t really know him. Hawks motioned back the way he came. “That’s all I came here for, do you mind if I use her window again or-”

“I’ll lock the window once you're out.” Eraserhead groaned as he got to his foot before grabbing his crutch and limping to the room again. The man seemed to be arguing with himself over something before he sighed. “If you need help, you should look for The Crawler.”

A vigilante who made the news a few years ago but had disappeared since then. 

Hawks blinked before he gave the teacher a nod and made his way back out and off the campus. He had been tempted to run by the dorms just to see that Tokoyami was okay but he pushed through it and climbed over the fence before running back into the city. 

If he made it out alive, he would apologize to the kid one day. Until then, Hawks would trust Tokoyami in the hands of better heroes. 

Toya’s journals only proved that Endeavor hadn’t pushed the kid to go to the HPSC, but that was about it. It was clear that once Shoto had been born, Endeavor had ignored his other children to the point of neglect while he trained the younger to be his heir. Hawks had been relieved to know that Endeavor hadn’t forced Toya into the hands of the HPSC but it had been sad to read the entries of a kid who just wanted to be recognized. 

Endeavor and Toya had a lot more in common than they realized. 

The HPSC was next on Hawks list but before he jumped into that mission, he needed to prove that Toya was actually still alive. There had always been a chance that Dabi was lying to him and Hawks needed evidence that Toya was alive. He couldn’t go through any official channels, the kid had been marked as dead after all and if he didn’t want to end up on anyone’s radar just yet so Hawks had to find another way. 

He was good at being creative. 

It took time, asking around at shops and bars. Pretending to be a tourist looking for a gimmick but people ate it up. Everyone was happy to take money off of a tourist, and Hawks found some hopefuls but ultimately had to keep moving. A cat-like person who could see spirits had been entertaining, but it was only the spirits in the room. There was a man who could send messages to anyone, which Hawks thought was a neat trick, but his quirk relied on the message reciever to see it on their own and oftentimes messages would still be missed. As cool as Hawks thought it would be to send a note that said ‘Nyeh-can’t find me!’, he would have no idea if the note ended up on a wall or a piece of paper or if Dabi would even see it. 

Hawks found a lot of interesting quirks in his search, a kid who could find things, a woman who could make things switch places. Portal quirks and quirks that involved blood, things that he wouldn’t need to use but it was good to know existed because he never knew when something might be of use. 

There was a little girl who could see relationships. Hawks found out about her at a seedy bar in a small town, apparently she was a bit of a celebrity among singles and drunks and people were happy to send him her way. He found her outside her elementary school and couldn’t help but laugh as she glared at him with her black hair and pink eyes. She made it a few steps outside of the gate before giving him a look and sighing. “It’s 100 dollars.”

“Woah!” Hawks waved his hands. “Don’t say weird things that people might misunderstand, I just came to verify your quirk.”

She had to be barely nine years old but she lifted her eyebrow in a way that said ‘lame’ as she stared at him before she motioned down the road. “No one has ever come to my school but if you want me to look at your relationships then there is a coffee shop over there. My mom runs it so no funny business.”

Hawks laughed as he gave her a small bow. “Lead the way.”

If it was a strange sight to see a man follow this little girl, no one said anything. Majority of the people they passed greeted the girl with a smile, some even gave her sweets or things to take to her mom. When they got to the coffee shop, Hawks could tell it was a well loved spot in town and clearly where the girl spent most of her time. There was a table with her name ‘Reimena’ scrawled across it and the girl threw her bag on top of it easily enough before calling to her mom. “Ma! I got a customer.”

“Oh?” A short woman smiled at Hawks behind the counter. “It’s five dollars for a coffee and 100 for each relationship you want her to check. You’re not allowed to take too much of her time, she still has homework.”

“Can the coffee be iced?” Hawks pulled out his wallet as the woman got to work and he sat in front of the little girl and put money down. She counted it before turning to place it on the counter behind her for her mom and turned back to Hawks. He smiled and shrugged at her. “So how does this work.”

“Hold out your hands like this.” The girl put her hands in front of her and spread out her fingers. “Then think of ten people and I can tell you some things about your relationship. It’s better to assign a name to each finger, so that you don’t get confused about who I’m talking about.”

“Are there any rules?” Hawks hummed as he tried to think of ten people. 

“They can’t be dead.” The girl wiggled her fingers and Hawks wiggled his back in response. It made her smile and Hawks couldn’t help but wonder what her life was like, to smile so easily in front of a man like him. Her mom sat his coffee down before ruffling the girl’s hair and the girl thought for a moment longer about rules before shrugging. “I can only tell you some things, but if your questions get too specific then I might not be able to answer them.”

“Got it. Do you mind if I ask you about your quirk while you work?” Hawks held out his hands so they were closer to her and chose his ten people. “I know I paid you for three people, but I really only need to know about one person.”

The girl blinked before she reached out and grabbed his pinky and his index finger on his left hand. “Is it this person? I told you to think of ten but people typically assign a person for each finger but I guess you only have nine friends cause you used the same person twice.”

Hawks almost choked on his tongue as he stared at her. He had assigned a person to each of his fingers, and Toya had been the pinky and Dabi had been the index finger. He sniffed a bit before he made eye contact with her. “So you can tell if they’re the same person. What do you see?”

“I see threads, yes like the red string of fate but no, it’s not red.” The girl made a motion as if she was holding something that was attached to Hawks’ fingers that he couldn’t see. “I see all types of colors and different types of thread, the friend you're thinking about enough to give two fingers isn’t happy with you. I don’t think your friends at all.”

“We might be in the middle of a fight.” Hawks tried to sound cheery and the girl just gave him a look before she motioned to his right hand as if she was grabbing the string from his middle finger. 

“I know you only care about one person but this thread here, this one belongs to a friend. This person is worried about you, and stressed. Your connection seems to be thinning out so if you want to stay friends then I would call them after this.” She motioned as if she was putting the string down and then went back to his left hand. “Your connection to your other friend is thick, which means that you will be connected for a long time, even if things stay bad.”

Hawks did not like the sound of that. 

“It’s a gross color, like a muddy green.” The girl scrunched her nose. “You might want to apologize.”

Hawks let out a bitter laugh before he shook his head. That wasn’t going to happen. He sat back in the chair and took a sip of the coffee and wondered if this was the proof he needed. He turned to the middle finger on his right and wondered if Endeavor would consider them friends. Hawks blinked at the girl who blinked at him and he realized that he couldn’t keep putting it off. 

This was the evidence he had been looking for. 

Toya and Dabi were the same person. 

“Thanks.” Hawks got up and ruffled the girl's hair like her mom had done. Reimena was clearly not a fan and huffed but she didn’t yell at him. 

“Good luck!” She smiled and Hawks waved to her and her mom before leaving the shop.

The days blurred together after that. Hawks traveled the country and outside of it trying to find a backdoor into the HPSC. He had to play his cards right and not even leave a mark, if they caught him then he was never going to see the light of day -- even if what he was doing was meant to stop the league of villains. 

The HPSC liked their secrets and he was lucky they had given him such a clean break. Normally people were just never heard of again. 

Maybe after all these years the president had gotten a soft spot for him? Her little bird. 

But what if it was something else? What if something else was going on in the HPSC and the president didn’t know. Would she be in danger? 

Worst case scenario, she was the one pulling the strings. 

“Breaking news! Number one hero Endeavor filed to separate from his wife this week-” Hawks dropped the papers in his hands as he turned to the tv. He was in a small hostel on the west coast of the U.S. trying to break into an HPSC facility that contained their servers. It was in the middle of a city and would be hard to stay off security cameras, but Hawks felt like this was the closest he would get. He hadn’t expected to hear news from Japan, let alone this news. The news reporter seemed flustered as another paper was put in front of her. “Speculation about Endeavor’s marriage has always been something to talk about since his wife’s last public appearance almost a decade ago.”

Hawks stared at the picture of the older hero on the side of the screen and just gaped. What was the old man doing?

Had something happened?

Why was Endeavor doing this now? Had this been in the works and for how long? The blond stared at the screen before rubbing his hands through his hair. He wanted to call the old man, wanted to go back home and shake the man by the shoulders to figure out what was happening. 

Would this destroy his career? 

Was Endeavor okay?

Did that mean . . . Endeavor was free? Hawks hit his cheeks and swore at himself. Even after all of this time, he didn’t have a right to the older man. So what if Endeavor was leaving his wife? It had nothing to do with Hawks. It didn’t matter, none of this mattered. All Hawks needed to do now was figure out what had happened to Toya to turn the teen into Dabi. He needed to figure out how to take Dabi out before the villain killed more people, and while he was at it, Hawks could try to cripple Shigaraki’s network even more. 

He didn’t have time to think about Endeavor. 

He didn’t have time to think about himself. 

Hawks wasn’t a hero anymore but he had unfinished business that he needed to see through. Once he was done. And only when he was done, would he figure out what the next step would be for his life. If there was even a next step. 

Breaking into the HPSC servers ended up being easier than Hawks had first thought. He made it in and out of the building in less and then minutes and Hawks wondered if it was his training that was keeping him quick, or if it was just instinct at this point. Hawks had managed to bug the computers in the server so now he had access to the HPSC files until they found it which meant he had to download anything and everything he could while trying to read the rest. 

Turned out, the truth is always a million times worse than fiction. 

Kyudai Garaki, also known as Daruma Ujiko, had been the doctor that Hawks had heard about as whispers when he was a child. The HPSC had hired a mad man and had let him work with their heroes to see where the line of his genius and madness crashed together. It was clear that eventually, when their heroes started to go missing, they realized the mad man wasn’t worth it and let him go. 

But that wasn’t the problem. 

Daruma had already been working for All for One when he was hired by the HPSC. Which meant that All For One had infiltrated the HPSC years ago and Hawks had no idea how deep or high that infiltration went. All for One might be a cold corpse now, but his quirk and his legacy still was alive in Shigaraki. 

The more Hawks dug the more he realized that he was falling deeper and deeper. The HPSC had known about nomus, they had records of early experiments in their computers though the language opposed the doctor’s work, it didn’t change the fact that the HPSC had known. 

How long had they known what the nomus were?

How long had they been able to guess what All for One was doing with their missing heroes?

All the bodies that were never found in villain attacks. 

The bodies of children. 

How many of Hawks’ assasination missions had given the doctor more bodies to work with?

After emptying what was in his stomach in the bathroom, Hawks had climbed to the top of his hostel to watch the sun set on his west coast location and found himself wondering about Toya, about the body that was never found after the fire, and about the differences between Toya and Dabi. 

There were similarities just as much as there were differences and Hawks wondered if Dabi was a nomu, if he was Toya, or if he was some weird combination of the two. Had the doctor found skin that wouldn’t be destroyed by Toya’s fire? Had something burned Toya’s childlike personality out of his body to be replaced by a madman? 

There was only one way to find out. 

It took longer than Hawks thought it would to set up the trap for Dabi. It had nearly been half a year since he had last seen the man and Hawks had been afraid at first that maybe Dabi had lost interest. He hadn’t heard any news about Shigaraki or his followers since the incident at the Jaku General Hospital and Hawks had wondered what they were waiting for. Was Shigaraki getting control over All for One, was Dabi waiting for Hawks to make a mistake? 

Or was Hawks walking into a trap set by Dabi?

“I hear you’ve been looking for me.” Dabi’s voice was just as lifeless as Hawks remembered and the smaller man took a step back with a smile. He didn’t have anywhere to go, not with the villain leaning over him and blocking his path. The cement wall was cold and rough and Hawks wished he could merge with it as Dabi leaned into his space with a smile. “I’m glad you’re back in Japan, I was actually starting to miss you.”

Hawks kept his body relaxed as he smirked up at the taller man. “Keeping an eye on me, Dabi? I’m touched.”

Dabi’s hand grabbed Hawks jaw as he forced the man into the wall and Hawks thought about how much it was going to suck if he got burned again but all Dabi did was stare at him with the icy blue eyes. “You’ve lost weight but you aren’t broken. That’s disappointing.” 

Hawks was confused and it must have shown on his face because Dabi pressed forward so that their noses were touching as he stared into Hawks eyes. “When I kill you, I want you to thank me for it.”

The blond kept his mouth shut at that and Dabi smiled before stepping back. “How is life, Keigo?”

“I feel a little grounded.” Hawks forced out, unable to fake a happy smile as he glared at the man. He needed to get out of here, and now before the villain decided to just end him there. 

“Keigo.” Dabi purred Hawks’ name and the blond just glared. “I’ll let you live this time, so do me a favor and keep struggling. If you get too boring I’ll have to start killing people again.”

Hawks had tried to hit Dabi then, knowing it was useless as he was shoved to the ground but it didn’t matter because Dabi was gone by the time Hawks got to his feet. Hawks swore and punched the nearest wall before hissing at the pain and leaving so that he could try to get his thoughts together. 

It was the first time Hawks finally realized how weak he really was. 

Without his Fierce Wings, it was clear the villain didn’t view him as a threat. Hawks’ plan for an ambush seemed more like a suicide attempt when he finally made it back to where he was staying. It’s a hole in the wall above a small laundry shop but they accepted cash and didn’t care if Hawks came and went at odd hours. 

He stared at all his plans, months of work, and felt like a failure. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. 

This wasn’t how he was supposed to end. 

Hawks shook as he clenched his hands together, realizing that he might honestly be afraid for the first time in his life. How foolish he had been, how unprepared. The HPSC had trained him to the best but there was a reason why they cut ties with him so quickly, it hadn’t been fondness but it had been just for the simple fact that Hawks was useless to them now. 

He couldn’t even protect himself and he had wanted to be a hero?

It’s that interaction with Dabi that makes Hawks bite the bullet and call the president of the HPSC. He hadn’t found any evidence to say she had known but there was also nothing to say she hadn’t. She might have no use for him now but he needed to get answers from her. And if it turned out she was innocent? Then Hawks needed to warn her about what was happening in the HPSC. 

And if she was guilty? Then it wouldn’t be the first time Hawks had to kill someone he had felt connected to but he wasn’t going to let All for One’s agents stay in the HPSC. 

He needed to warn Endeavor. 

It shouldn’t have been a surprise to him that was too late. He had been ready to go to her home, had even made sure her family had been out of town only to show up to her building to find the place in flames. Heroes, agents, and police were running around but no one say him as he managed to get inside and break into her place, there was a chance that she was alive and he had to make sure . . . he had to-

Later when Hawks stood in the shower, trying to wipe the ash off his skin and cool his body down from the flames, he wondered why Dabi had killed her and then set the place on fire? He could have just left her corpse as a warning but instead the villain had burned down the building and killed many others in the process. Had it been bloodlust?

Or had Dabi felt something at the site of the woman who had tried to help him so many years ago?

Hawks never got his answers about the president and the HPSC but that wasn’t the problem now. He couldn’t keep looking for answers that he didn’t need, at least not yet. If the HPSC was infiltrated or if it was not wouldn’t change the fact that Hawks needed to take Dabi out before the villain killed anyone else. Hawks stared at the scars that littered his back as he stood in front of the mirror after his shower and had to steel himself. 

The only way to get Dabi out of hiding on Hawks’ terms was to bait Dabi with something he wanted so badly that the villain would willingly walk into a trap to get it. There was only one person Dabi seemed to hate more than Hawks and the blond wasn’t sure he could make that call. The blond didn’t know if he was going to be able to do it, it could end in a lot more deaths than just his own but if it meant he could get Dabi out of the picture then . . .

Hawks was tired of running. 

So tired. 

Endeavor would have to be the bait for Dabi, it was the only way to make sure the villain showed up. Dabi wanted to kill Endeavor more than Hawks, well, he wanted to kill them both but Endeavor would be a bigger prize and Hawks knew it. Hawks didn’t think it would be so hard to get Endeavor where he wanted him and so he put the plan to work. He would make sure that Endeavor wasn’t alone, would make sure that the older man had his help and Hawks would take out Dabi on his own if he needed to. 

Even if it meant Endeavor would be lost to him forever. There was no coming back from killing the man’s son but Hawks couldn’t let Dabi live. 

He couldn’t. 

But like always, Dabi had his own plans. 

Hawks should have been paying attention. Dabi had made sure that Hawks had known that he had been watching but Hawks had been foolish and thought he had Dabi’s undivided attention. Hawks had put his guard down and Endeavor’s youngest, Shoto, had gone missing. 

The news stations were in an uproar, anything dealing with Endeavor since his divorce got more screen time. Especially if it was bad news and now Endeavor was being torn down for being a hero who couldn’t keep his family safe. The hero community was ripping apart the city looking for the missing kid and Hawks joined them, looking at all of Dabi’s old hangs, knowing that if Dabi really wanted to kill Shoto then it was already too late but refusing to give up. 

One day turned into two, then it was three days of a non-stop adrenaline rush where Hawks had even resorted to hold contacts. He was leaving a trail but he didn’t have time to stop, he couldn’t let Endeavor lose another kid. If only he had gotten Dabi sooner, taken Dabi out at the very beginning then maybe . . . 

Hawks’ burner phone rang once and Hawks answered it quickly, not even looking at the number. “Yes?”

“So much for being fast.” Dabi’s voice was filled with venom. “I thought you would be here by now but clearly you need some help. Come to the address I just sent you and I’ll let you take his place. Don’t want to kill my little brother after all.”

It was a lie of course. 

Dabi wanted to kill Shoto, wanted to kill Hawks, wanted to kill Endeavor. He hated heroes more than anything and he wanted to burn them all down. But none of this mattered because if there was a chance, a slight chance that he could take Shoto’s place then Hawks would take it. What was his life compared to this kid’s? 

Hawks forwarded the address to Endeavor, hoping the older man would see it even if he didn’t recognize the number and ran. Dabi was on the other side of town and Hawks needed to move as soon as possible. The knife he carried with him, inspired by Eraserhead, felt heavy against his side but he didn’t care. He would save Shoto, and if he could take Dabi out before the villain killed him, then Hawks would consider it a victory even if he died in the process. 

Only Hawks had been too late. 

Not fast enough.

He was never fast enough. 

When he showed up to the warehouse, Endeavor was already there and the place was nothing but smoke and flame as Dabi and Endeavor faced each other. Dabi was merciless in his attacks, as the villain yelled at the older hero before sending attack after attack. Endeavor was trying to keep things under control but it was clear that neither of the flame users had control over the flames as the building continued to burn around them. 

Hawks couldn’t breathe in the heat but he forced himself to push through, hating how his back screamed at him as the heat reminded him of the pain he had already experienced first hand almost a year ago. 

It didn’t matter. 

He could burn alive for all he cared but he needed to make sure that Shoto was okay. Hawks didn’t think Endeavor would make it if Shoto died. 

Endeavor was strong but he wasn’t that strong. 

“You’re lying!” Endeavor’s voice sounded wrecked as Dabi’s laughter echoed. “Toya is dead!”

Hawks found Shoto staring at the fight, the kid seemed to have gotten himself free but was now standing there in shock and Hawks couldn’t blame him. Even Endeavor faltered against Dabi’s flames and it was all Dabi needed to take Endeavor down. The older man was screaming as the blue flames engulfed him. Hawks reached out to grab Shoto, not wanting the teen to see the end of his father but then Shoto did the unthinkable. Hawks grabbed nothing as the teen ran into the fire to save his father. 

Hawks shouted but he knew he wasn’t heard and the blond barely made it out of the way as ice created a barrier between Endeavor and Dabi. Shoto stood there, steam coming from his mouth as he tried to fight back the flames but Dabi kept sending more. The villain laughed and laughed as Shoto struggled and Hawks noticed how black blood started to seep down Dabi’s skin. The villain either didn’t care that he was boiling himself in the process or didn’t notice but Hawks realized it was his last chance. 

He grabbed the knife and held onto it tightly. 

“Years!” Dabi screamed as he let out more fire, not even trying to control it. “Do you know what it was like to wake up in a morgue and realize that you had been thrown away like a failed experiment? Thrown away by the family that was supposed to love you, by the father that was supposed to protect you -- I’ve been wanting to see this look on your face for years, dad!”

“T-toya!” Shoto’s voice sounded broken. “Stop this . . . we can-can-”

“Don’t pretend now, little brother. Just die next to dad now, will you?” Dabi laughed and Hawks took his moment of distraction to shove his knife through Dabi’s back and into the man’s chest. He didn’t know if the bastard had a heart anymore but he would make sure that Dabi never moved from this spot. 

Dabi choked as black blood poured from his mouth and he turned to stare wide eyed at Hawks before he smiled. “Sure love stabbing people in the back, don’t you?”

Hawks didn’t have time to retort because suddenly Dabi’s entire body was engulfed in blue flames and Hawks hands were seared in the process. His gloves melted and burned off against his skin as he finally let go of the knife to fall back as Dabi screamed and screamed. Hawks glanced up only to see Dabi staring at him like a madman. 

If Toya had ever been in there, he wasn’t now. 

Dabi’s flames went haywire, the man was clearly trying to kill everyone in the room with him while he bled out and Hawks did the only thing he could and ran. His knife was now melting into Dabi’s body and the room was only getting hotter and hotter. Hawks was able to see that Shoto had put up an ice barricade to try to protect himself and Endeavor and that was the last thing Hawks could see in the building before everything exploded.

Dabi was dead and Hawks ran. 

It was all over but Hawks couldn’t stop running. 

The ex-hero didn’t know when he stopped, just that he went from running one moment to waking up the next. 

“Who found him?” A soft voice brought Hawks to consciousness, and the pain in his body did the rest as he gasped awake to find a man wearing an All Might hoodie standing over him. The man seemed startled by Hawks waking up and held up his hands. “Don’t move, we haven’t finished treating the burns.”

“Who-” Hawks choked before he started coughing. There was movement and a young woman with a mask and her hair up in pigtails came over. She had an eyepatch that was bright pink but she smiled as she gave him some water to sip. 

“I found you in an actual gutter.” Her voice was soft before she glanced at the All Might fan. “I sent a pic to Eraserhead, did he get back?”

“Oh.” There was some noise that Hawks couldn’t place before suddenly the man was back. “Yep. Eraserhead says you’re Hawks, nice to meet you. I’m The Crawler and this is Pop-Step.” 

Honestly, Hawks thought for a moment as the couple started to argue, he almost wished that Eraserhead had just let him die. 

Eventually, Hawks would be grateful for the fact that Eraserhead was looking out for him. It took a week of healing, without the access to someone’s super amazing quirk, before The Crawler was able to take him to a small time doctor that didn’t mind helping vigilantes. The doctor took one look at Hawks burns and sighed before getting his hands to glow as he activated his quirk. “Can’t do anything about the scars but I can help you heal faster.”

“Even if you could get rid of the scars, I would want to keep them.” Hawks murmured and the old man just nodded before he continued. 

It was a month before Hawks was comfortable enough around the vigilantes that he didn’t mind taking up a corner in The Crawler’s apartment space. Living on the roof of a building felt nice, even if Hawks only allowed himself to go out at night. 

He was too close to Endeavor’s turf to risk any day time activity. 

Shoto and Endeavor lived, though Hawks wondered what it cost them, to see a family member burn alive and know there was nothing they could have done about it. He didn’t think either of them had seen him stab the madman in the fire but if they had, they didn’t say anything in their reports. 

The reports that Hawks just happened to get a hold of after gifting an old contact with some fancy tea. He had seen her work with the Gentle Criminal and Hawks was glad he kept her contact information once he had the video feed of Shoto and Endeavor’s reports. These recordings were only for the Endeavor agency, and were way more detailed than the reports they had written for the police. 

”He told me everything.” Shoto’s head was tilted forward as the teen hugged himself on the screen. “Dabi grabbed me when I was walking back to school, he gave me a shot in the back of the neck that kept me paralyzed and told me what happened to him. About how he was my brother, how his body hadn’t been strong enough and how he had been experimented on by the HPSC.”

Hawks took a bite of Pop-Step’s pocky, something he hoped she wouldn’t miss as he narrowed his eyes at the video. Toya had been at the HPSC on his own accord, or at least, that’s what the journals said and Hawks didn’t remember any experiments but he hadn’t been with Toya the whole time. 

Shoto looked small on the screen and every now and then a small flame would rise from his left side and Hawks wondered what emotion the kid was holding in. Anger? Sadness? Loss? 

“Dabi told you the HPSC experimented on him?” Burnin’s voice was soft and even though Hawks couldn’t see her, he was glad that Endeavor had gotten her to interview Shoto. She was a bit much sometimes but she knew when to have a soft touch. 

“My brother Toya told me that my dad handed him over to the HPSC. That dad wanted a stronger kid, even after having me, and forced Toya to go there.” More flames left Shoto’s face as the teen clenched his jaw. “He told me about how they experimented on him, how they would beat him.”

“He told me about how his quirk went out of control, how he died.” Shoto’s voice went ragged there and the video stopped. Hawks only had to wait a second before it started again and this time Shoto sat with his back straight. Burnin said something that Hawks couldn't hear and Shoto nodded before continuing Dabi’s story. “He didn’t remember what happened after that, just that he woke up one day in a pile of mutilated corpses. His body was different, but his quirk was the same. He would talk about that a lot, when he came in to check on me, what it was like to wake up surrounded by dead bodies.”

Hawks wondered if that’s when Toya snapped. 

“All this time, I think he had been waiting for our dad to save him.” Shoto’s voice was small. “But it never happened and he . . . and Toya became Dabi.”

It was one hell of an origin story. 

Endeavor’s video had less details. Dabi hadn’t told him much other than to reveal that he had been the man’s dead son before attacking. Endeavor clearly felt responsible for the villain’s death and Hawks wondered if he should tell Endeavor the truth. If he should turn himself in and make sure the man knew that Dabi had died by his knife and nothing else. 

But Hawks couldn’t turn himself in yet, Dabi was out of the way but the HPSC hadn’t been taken care of yet. 

The HPSC was changing management and Hawks wanted to look into how far All for One’s reach had gone in the agency. It only took a few weeks before Hawks realized he wasn’t the only one looking into the HPSC and he almost laughed as he found small traces of Endeavor’s search. He did his best to clean up Endeavor’s tracks but he wasn’t ready to work with the man, not yet. If he saw Endeavor now then he would have to own up to everything and Hawks wasn’t ready for that.

Not yet. 

Hawks also hadn’t been ready for Toga. 

The blond coughed up blood as he stared at the crazy eyed woman in front of him. Her smile was big and bright even as her eyes remained dark as she glared at him. “Killing Jin wasn’t enough for you, was it Hawks? Then you had to kill Dabi.”

“What-” Hawks gasped as she twisted the blade in his stomach. 

“You would think after all this time, heroes would keep a better eye on the corpses they find but maybe they thought Dabi was too burnt up to use.” Her voice was light, as if she wasn’t trying to slice him in half and Hawks wondered if this was it. Was this the end of his line? Only Toga’s voice kept him grounded. “They were right, the doctor couldn’t do anything with Dabi but I saw the stab wound. Might have been burned but I recognize knife work anywhere.”

“Dabi told me his plan, you were the only other person there and you took him from me.” She leaned into his space, her smile giving away her pleasure as he felt like something was being pulled from him. 

His blood. 

She was taking his blood. 

“I loved them, both of them.” Toga’s voice was soft.

“You aren’t capable.” Hawks hissed out, wanting to call her out on her insanity but she just smiled even brighter. 

“I loved them in my own way.” She purred before she sighed. “Shiggy-chan said I could kill you anyway I saw fit, as long as I didn’t leave too big of a mess.”

Hawks sucked in a breath, trying to break free but still unable to move from how she had him pinned. He had hoped that Dabi was the only one who cared about him but now he realized how wrong he had been. Instead of being scared he tried to make a joke. “That’s nice.”

“I won’t kill you yet, Hawks.” There was a wet noise that Hawks didn’t want to think about as Toga finally took a step back. The world was going fuzzy from blood loss and the man wondered if The Crawler would find him. Toga’s boot stepped on his face as she knelt down so she could look him in the eye as the world faded. “I want you to know the kind of despair I feel, the pain that Jin and Dabi felt, and then I’ll kill you. I’m going to have fun destroying you, Hawks, so don’t make it too easy.”

And really, Hawks wondered if he would ever get a break. 

“Young man, you should really find a better occupation.” Were the words that greeted him when he woke. Hawks stared at the old man doctor and turned his attention to the blood bag that was strapped to his arm before glancing at his stomach that had bandages. The old man sighed. “You’ll need to rest for at least a day before you can move.”

“Who-”

“Pop-Step.” The doctor sighed. “She always complains that her secret second quirk is finding useless men.”

Hawks would have laughed at that if he wasn’t afraid it would cause him to bleed out. The blond let his head fall back in the pillow as he thought about Toga, about how she operated and how she might do things if Shigaraki was lettering her go wild. She had always been unpredictable but Hawks had kept his eye on her when he had been with them. 

Hawks had a feeling that Toga was actually going to be the one to kill him. 

“Doctor, can you tell our friends they need to move base.” Hawks sighed before he smiled at the old man. “And I’m afraid you’ll need to change locations too. They might come for you just because you helped me.”

The doctor frowned but he nodded. “It’s not the first time I’ve moved and it won’t be the last. I’ll tell your friends but make sure to take care of yourself.”

Hawks didn’t make any promises. 

He snuck out that night, when he was sure the man was asleep. He needed to find somewhere that no one would look for him. He needed to go somewhere he could train. Somewhere he could think. 

Somewhere safe. 

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Mirko’s response was about what he expected. “Endeavor has been looking for you, you know this right? In fact, he has me helping him in that search.”

“I know.” Hawks was laying on her couch as she paced in her apartment. “He can’t know I’m here.”

“No shit.” Mirko, even with one arm, looked as threatening as Hawks remembered. “Fine! Fuck’n shit! You can stay here but you are officially under house arrest. If you leave, I’m telling Endeavor.”

“I’m here to train and to heal.” Hawks motioned at his rather beat up body. “I need a place no one will look for me and a place I can train.”

It was a good plan, though he knew Mirko wouldn’t say it out loud. She had been obvious in her search for him, most likely hoping that her aggression would force him out, but it also meant no one would think he was with her. He told her what she needed to know, about how he was looking into the HPSC and how the League of Villains was after him. He didn’t tell her everything, but she also didn’t ask for the details. 

Her ears twitched before she sighed and she finally sat down. “I’m not home that often so it will be fine. Use whatever you want, eat whatever you want, but you will help me with my herowork.”

Hawks felt that was fair. “Sure, I can do the paperwork or-”

Mirko slammed down a computer in front of him and held up a USB. He stared at the HPSC website and felt some dread. “No, you’re helping me and Endeavor, bird brain. I want you to find all the shady shit you know about the HPSC and put it on this drive. The more evidence the better.”

It was a big ask, but Hawks couldn’t argue.

Life with Mirko was not easy. 

She really was gone most of the time, and it took Hawks too long to realize she had a lover. He tried to guess who it was but she would never tell him and eventually he gave up because his own training was taking up too much of his time. His body was sore, his muscles strained under the scars, and he had to learn a new way to fight that didn’t rely on his wings but he would make it happen. 

He couldn’t give up. 

Not yet. 

Then Deku disappeared. The One for All user and Shigaraki’s main foe disappeared in just a second and Hawks couldn’t stop staring at the tv, as the news played the scene over and over again. Student Hero Deku missing, civilian and hero ward Eri missing, Nomu missing, all that was left on the ground were explosions and Ground Zero’s screaming. 

If Shigaraki had been waiting for a time to move, this would be it. Hawks didn’t know what was going to happen but he needed to move, he needed to see if he could find the kid, and he was going to need help . . . but he couldn’t ask Mirko. 

Not for this. 

Unlike last time, Hawks decided to take his time. He wouldn’t rush in, he would do his research first and cover his bases before he left Mirko’s home. He would look through back roads while the heroes searched the highways and things like that. Mirko had gotten him a phone and he was slowly getting back into contact with some of his old contacts. 

He wasn’t ready yet, but he would be soon. 

Soon he would be able to get back out there. 

“Are you murdering people while I’m gone?” Mirko didn’t bother to greet him as she made her way into the apartment. Hawks stared at her in shock and she threw a folder on the table in front of him. “Crime scene, it seems like someone is framing you.”

And Hawks hadn’t realized how Toga would do things until it was too late. 

She wasn’t going to kill people next to him. She didn’t care about his personal connections, not really. 

She was going to kill people while wearing his face. She was going to destroy him by making him a murderer and then she would make sure he had nowhere to run and then she would kill him. Even then, she would probably want to toy with him longer. 

“Toga.” Hawks put the photo back before Mirko handed up a piece of paper. “What’s this?”

“Endeavor has me looking into children who stopped going to school between these dates.” Mirko sighed. “We’re looking for children the HPSC most likely took from their homes. I’m wondering if you’ll see a familiar name on there.”

Hawks just glared at her before he got to work and started going through the names. Toga wasn’t going to stop but Hawks couldn’t stop her even if he wanted to. If he found her, she would just toy with him and murder more people, and since she was killing strangers, he wouldn’t be able to find her easily. There was no pattern to her kills, at least not yet. 

Hawks paused before he glanced up at Mirko who was on another computer and doing her own work. She paused when she saw he was looking at her and turned her head so that she was facing him and Hawks couldn’t help but blurt out, “What if the HPSC wants me to take the fall for the murders?”

His president was dead. 

He didn’t know anyone there now and they would probably be fine with letting him go to prison. Especially if they were under Shigaraki’s pull. 

Mirko just scoffed before she went back to her computer. “You would be an idiot if you thought Endeavor would let that happen.”

Hawks didn’t understand. 

Why would Endeavor care? After all this time, they had only worked together for a few months, it had really only been a few handfuls of conversations that Hawks held dearly but there was no way that they meant the same to the older man. Was he supposed to believe Endeavor felt the same?

No. 

It wasn’t the same. 

But like all things in Hawks’ life, sometimes everything came crashing down at once. It had taken a few months, the true realization that Deku and One for All were gone before Hawks realized he might know a way to get the teen back. 

It was also the same time that Mirko gave him a short list of names from Endeavor, a list of names that contained Takami Keigo at the top. He hadn’t told her his name and she hadn’t seen his id, but he knew it was only a matter of time before she realized that one of the HPSC children they had been looking for was him. 

He would end up being their biggest proof of evidence against the HPSC but that meant Hawks was finally going to have to admit to things. He had finally reached a point where it didn’t matter if Hawks was ready because he had to move and he had to move now. 

He needed to find Deku and bring One for All back to Japan before Shigaraki made his move and Hawks needed one person to make all of that happen. 

He wondered if Bakugo would remember him. 

It was actually thanks to Mirko that Hawks had been able to get Endeavor’s address. Apparently it was so secret that only his family knew it but Endeavor had relented in passing the information over to Mirko as they continued to work together on the side. 

Hawks wasn’t jealous at all. 

The ex-hero had been able to get Bakugo’s contact information from Mirko as well, when she had stolen it off of her poor abused intern. Hawks sent a little prayer out to Red Riot and hoped the teen was doing well as the blond finally got everyone moving. He told Mirko his plan, which she disagreed with but ultimately told him it was his funeral before she hopped off to handle her own business. 

Hawks had been genuinely surprised when Bakugo showed up to Endeavor’s high-rise all by himself. The kid seemed determined as he marched his way inside the building and the ex-hero made sure to text the teen instructions for how to get in the elevators before Hawks slowly followed after. 

This wasn’t going to end well. 

It had been over a year since he had spoken to Endeavor, over a year since he had seen the man if Hawks wasn’t counting Dabi’s demise. 

When Hawks made it to the older man’s floor he found himself looking at his reflection in the windows. His hair had grown back over the past few months and he had stopped shaving, he almost looked like his normal self. Except he had bags under his eyes, and even with all the training at Mirko’s he hadn’t been able to put on the weight he had been hoping to. 

His black outfit was the best fitting thing he could find, the shirt had actually belonged to Mirko and had a starry night pattern on it that was subtle but it did the job of covering his scars with it’s high neck. His gloves covered the scars on his hands and Hawks realized that the rest of him was covered as well minus his face. 

Why did it matter what he looked like? 

This wasn’t what he was here for.

Hawks could hear Endeavor and Bakugo talking to each other and made sure to wait a moment before he hit the door once. The other side had gone silent and Hawks felt nervous in a way he hadn’t in a long time as he waited for the door to open. 

This was it. 

He couldn’t turn back now. 

No matter what happened, no matter what Endeavor learned and found out about him, even if the older man learned to hate Hawks, it would be okay as long as Hawks helped the man fix the HPSC and helped Bakugo save Deku. After that? After Hawks had finally used up his usefulness? Then maybe the ex-hero would finally disappear for good. 

“Who are you and what-” Endeavor didn’t even look at Hawks as he grabbed the smaller man and yanked him into the apartment. Hawks was basically thrown inside and he lost his balance immediately as he stumbled before he landed on his ass on the floor. 

Talk about kodak moment. 

Hawks glanced up to see both Bakugo and Endeavor staring at him like they had seen a ghost and Hawks laughed. He chuckled to himself as he lifted himself off the ground and made sure to keep his hands visible as he wiped himself off. He wasn’t dusty but he wanted to make a point to both of them that he was unarmed. 

When we finally lifted his head he couldn’t help the way his eyes landed on Endeavor. Hawks didn’t even have to fight the small smile on his face as he stared at the older man. “And a hello to you too, Endeavor-san.”

“What the fuck?” Bakugo growled and Hawks couldn’t blame the teen but the older blond kept his eyes on Endeavor. 

“Do you have something to drink?”

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Mentions of child abuse  
> -Reference to domestic abuse  
> -Hawks parents try to commit family suicide  
> -Murder, canon violence  
> -Dark thoughts  
> -Hawks is 18+ when he sleeps with strangers  
> -Reference to Hawks sleeping with other heros  
> -Lots of death in this chapter  
> -Death of Toya Todoroki covered  
> -Death of Dabi covered  
> -Hawks love for Endeavor
> 
> I think that it for the content warnings but if you feel like I should include something else then let me know. 
> 
> Reviews are always welcome!


	9. Somewhere just beyond my reach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the ever loving fuck?
> 
> “What the ever loving fuck?” Bakugo swore. He pointed at Hawks making the retired hero look at him. “Why the hell would I listen to some goddamn loser who's retired and as far as I can tell, has been in hiding for over a year? What the fuck can you offer? Why would you even fucking care about Deku?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:   
> New chapter!! Things are moving. Last chapter was super long, and this chapter is longer but not as long but a lot of things are happening so I hope you all enjoy it. As the comic continues to update every week, we get a little further and further away from canon but I hope by the time that I finish this story, it'll still be something people can enjoy!
> 
> Author’s Note:   
> SORRY FOR THE DELAY! Life has been busy, working a few 12-14 hour days and still somehow always behind. This means that when I do have time off, I'm usually sleeping, but I promise that I will continue to chip away at this story. My goal is always to get you at least one chapter a week so I'm sorry if I do miss it sometimes. I did have someone tell me that this is the sort of story that people hate to read chapter by chapter but love to read when it's finished . . . I'm not sure if that was a nice comment or what-have-you but I'll take it. :) 
> 
> I hope everyone is staying safe!
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

“So you want me to intern with Endeavor but instead of actually working with him, I’m supposed to work with you to go on this plan to find Deku that you won’t give us details about?” Bakugo honestly felt like his head was going to explode as he tried to get more information out of Hawks. The retired hero had started off talkative when they had sat in the living room but had slowly started to quiet as Endeavor had just glowered at him the whole time. Now Bakugo was sitting there, staring at the two grown ass men as Hawks avoided Endeavor’s eye contact and Endeavor just frowned at Hawks without looking anywhere else. 

What the ever loving fuck?

“What the ever loving fuck?” Bakugo swore. He pointed at Hawks making the retired hero look at him. “Why the hell would I listen to some goddamn loser who's retired and as far as I can tell, has been in hiding for over a year? What the fuck can you offer? Why would you even fucking care about Deku?”

Endeavor clenched his fists and Bakugo clicked his tongue, wondering if the older hero was going to come in and defend Hawks but instead Endeavor stayed silent so Bakugo turned his attention back to the retired hero who was keeping a blank face as Bakugo tried to figure out what was going on. “How am I supposed to think you would be any help? You’re retired, aren't you? You’re basically quirkless now-”

“Ground Zero.” His hero name made him freeze. Endeavor’s voice was firm, not angry but a warning and Bakugo stopped what he was saying. 

The blond ran his hands through his hair as his mind tried to connect the dots. He didn’t understand what was happening but he had to admit that he was happy that Hawks was going to help him. Happy that someone else wanted to get Deku back. But just because he might have someone on his side didn’t mean that he was just going to team up without knowing all the goddamn information. 

Bakugo was also confused about why Hawks was apparently trying to stay hidden. There was no other reason for Hawks’ actions other than the fact that Hawks didn’t want to be seen, otherwise Hawks could have just visited Bakugo at UA but now, Hawks wanted to make sure no one knew what he was doing. 

And he was trying to use Endeavor’s shadow to stay hidden. 

“To answer your questions . . .” Hawks held his gloved hands up as his sharp eyes regarded Bakugo. It made the student hero want to growl at the older man but instead Bakugo just settled for looking unimpressed. Hawks seemed amused by this. “Like I said earlier, I know that you haven’t decided on your final work study and that you have to decide soon. I want you to team up with Endeavor-san to satisfy your school but in actuality, I want you to work with me.”

“No.” Endeavor’s voice was rough and it made both blondes in the room stare at him. “If he’s working with me, then he’s working with me.”

Bakugo smirked at that, knowing that Endeavor had wanted him at his agency from the very beginning. The young blond was also confused about why Hawks had chosen Endeavor of all Heroes, Bakugo could have worked with anyone, but the older blond had chosen the number one hero and should have known better. 

Endeavor didn’t move around carelessly. It’s why Bakugo liked the hero, not that he would ever say it out loud. 

“But-” Hawks seemed to falter but Endeavor cut him off. 

“Ground Zero, Bakugo, is still a student and still has a lot to learn.” Endeavor turned his attention to Bakugo and it made the young blond straighten in his seat. “You are one of the smartest hero students, you’re constantly at the top of your class, and your instincts have always been an asset on or off mission.”

“Yeah, I’m great, so what do-”

“Why would someone so smart show up tonight without any back up?” Endeavor’s voice was cold. “If this had been an ambush, we would not only be missing student hero Deku but Ground Zero as well. You are too reckless and I’m not sending you on any covert operations until I know without a doubt that you understand there is a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things. What you did tonight was the wrong way.”

Bakugo felt steam from his hands as he jumped to his feet but Endeavor kept talking. 

“When it comes to Deku, you are even more reckless. I’ve seen it in action, the world has seen it in action.” Endeavor glared over at Bakugo and huffed. “Sit down, we’re not done talking.”

Bakugo sat back down and bared his teeth at Endeavor. As much as he wanted to yell at the man he couldn’t argue, and he certainly didn’t want to get kicked out of the man’s home. Hawks whistled and it made Bakugo glare at the retired hero who smiled a bit, looking more like how Bakugo remembered him. 

“Don’t antagonize him, Hawks.” Endeavor glared harder and Hawks glanced away, making Bakugo smirk. 

“I would never antagonize anyone, Endeavor-san.” Hawks’ voice was light before the man sighed and turned his body so that he was facing Bakugo. “I’m not going to answer all of your questions, mainly because I don’t have to, but I will answer some.”

Bakugo didn’t like the sound of that but he stayed silent. 

“To be honest, I don’t particularly care about Deku or yourself, anymore than I care about any other hero or civilian I meet. I like you kids, you’ve got moxie.”

Bakugo clicked his tongue at the word ‘moxie, what the hell did that even mean? He opened his mouth to tell the retired hero to get to the point but Hawks held up a hand with a sigh. 

“I have reason to believe that the only reason Shigaraki has been in hiding all of this time is because he’s been trying to gain control over All for One. With Deku gone, who I believe is the only one who can take Shigaraki out, this leaves all of us open to a level of destruction that will make the Jaku General Hospital incident seem like a cakewalk.” Even without his wings, Hawks seemed like he was taking up more space in the room as his gold eyes focused on Bakugo. The blond man held out his hands, his palms up as if to say ‘take it or leave’ as he stared at Bakugo. “Like you said, I’m basically quirkless now and that’s why I need help. I need both of you.”

“How do you know about All for One and Deku?” Bakugo was still processing the rest but he turned his attention to Endeavor. The blond didn’t like that Deku’s secret was out there, it had been hard enough to contain after the end of their first year but they were still trying to keep it secret. 

Bakugo didn’t want to think of what people might try if they learned they could have all that power. 

Hawks just smiled but didn’t answer the question. Bakugo felt like his blood was going to boil and he wanted to grab the man and shake him. The teen turned his attention to Endeavor to see the older man was frowning as well. 

“Why now? He’s been missing for four months.” Endeavor’s tone left no room for argument and it made Hawks sit up a little straighter. 

Hawks sighed. “There was something that needed to be taken care of first, can we leave it at that?”

“No.” Endeavor shook his head. 

“You sure like to say ‘no’, don’t you, Endeavor-san?” Hawks laughed and Bakugo really wanted to punch something. 

“Why do you need both of us? If you know how to get Deku back then why aren’t you getting him back on your own since you clearly don’t want people to know where you are?” Bakugo growled as Hawks eyed him. “And how do you know where he is?”

Hawks stayed silent and instead turned his attention to Endeavor where both men regarded each other for a moment. Bakugo wanted to grab the older blond and hold him over Endeavor’s balcony outside to see if he would get more answers. 

This was utter bullshit, being thrown around by a retired hero and ex spy. 

But . . .

But if Hawks did know where Deku was, knew how to get the little shit back, even if it was a slim possibility then Bakugo was going to take it. 

“Endeavor . . .” Bakugo growled. “If he can get Deku-”

“Bakugo, you’ll need to come to my office on Monday. You’re weeks behind my current interns and I expect you to work double time to catch up.” Endeavor pinched the bridge of his nose before he turned to the blond and Bakugo nodded, willing to agree to anything Endeavor said at this point. “I’ll call Eraserhead tomorrow and let him know, but you should check in with him as well.”

“So this means-” Hawks sat up with excitement and Bakugo even felt like his pulse was racing. He would be able to keep looking for Deku and get the school off his back at the same time? If Hawks really knew what he was talking about then Bakugo could get Deku back. 

Deku would be back. 

“All this means is that Bakugo is officially working for me again, something he should have done from the beginning.” Endeavor frowned as he got to his feet and stared at the two blonds. “As for everything else, I want to think about it. We’re not going to rush into anything and we’re certainly not going to do anything without knowing the facts.”

Bakugo let out a breath and shut his eyes for a moment. 

If Endeavor had said no then Bakugo wasn’t sure what he would have done. Actually drop out of school and go vigilante? Force Hawks to work with him anyway? 

Bakugo’s phone buzzed then and the teen sighed as he pulled up the message from Kirishima to let him know that the redhead was looking for him. The blond ran his hands through his hair before he got to his feet and walked over so that he was standing over Hawks. “If this turns out to be a fucking waste of time, or something else, I’m going to end you.”

Hawks blinked at that before the man smiled. “That doesn’t sound very hero-like, Ground Zero-kun.”

Bakugo just sniffed before he walked over to Endeavor. He gave the older man a small nod before he looked the older man in the eye. “I’ll report in on Monday with glasses and birdbrain.” 

“Bakugo.” Endeavor grabbed the young blond’s shoulder. Physical contact that Bakugo only allowed with a select few heroes. “I will do what I can to help you so don’t hide things from me. No matter what, we are going to work on this together.”

Bakugo couldn’t find the right words so instead he just gave the older man a nod. He had his orders and he would make sure to see them through. “I’ll see you on Monday, Endeavor.” 

Bakugo paused before he glared back over at Hawks before turning his attention back to the flame hero. “If this turns out to be a waste of-”

“I’ll take care of Hawks.” Endeavor grumbled and it made Hawks flinch, letting Bakugo know that the blond still had his super sharp senses even without his wings. Endeavor sighed. “Go back to school, talk to Eraserhead, and get ready.”

“Hm.” Bakugo nodded as he made his way to the door. He didn’t bother saying goodbye but just sent both men a wave before he made it out the door. 

Deku. 

He might actually be able to get Deku back. 

…  
…  
...

“Keishin told me this will be your first job.” Ukai’s mother reached up to ruffle Midoriya’s hair and the teen made sure to lean forward so she wouldn’t have to reach too high. She had short curly hair and a soft smile, she was basically the opposite of Ukai in every way, Deku thought. 

“Yes, uh, sorry.” He felt his face heat up as another old woman came to the counter and cooed at him. 

“What a nice young man, very handsome.” The woman reached up and Deku had to lean down so she could pinch his cheeks. “His skin is so soft!”

“Ooh? A new employee?” Deku knew his face was beet red as a younger woman came in carrying a baby with her. “How exciting, do you have a girlfriend? Are you seeing anyone?”

Deku just turned his gaze to coach Ukai who was sitting at the small table across from the counter and smoking a cigarette as he read the newspaper. The older man sighed when his eyes met Deku’s and he closed the paper. “Don’t scare the kid off, we want him to keep working here. Granny Yuni, stop pinching his cheeks. That’s called harassment nowadays.”

“Keishin’s no fun.” Granny Yuni let go of Deku’s face and then all the women started talking with each other. The teen let out a breath as he made his way around the counter started restocking the shelves. He was surprised with how fast merchandise moved for such a small shop, but Deku realized it must have been because the school was so close by. Deku felt a bit embarrassed with how long it was taking him to find things, and where to put them on the shelf. 

He had been by the shop a few times himself as a customer, or to help out in the study sessions when Yachi and Ennoshita were feeling a bit overwhelmed. Turned out, math was the same no matter what universe Deku was in so it was the only subject he really felt comfortable helping out in. But coming here to work was a completely different feeling and Deku really hoped he didn’t mess anything up. He knew that Ukai was doing him a favor and he didn’t want the older man to regret it. 

“You’ll get the hang of it.” Ukai sighed before the man got up from the table and started helping Deku with the box of stuff. “The key is to restock the stuff adults would want first, since they show up throughout the day. Then you focus on the things the kids will want since they only come before or after school. If we sell out for the day, then we sell out. Don’t try restocking things all the time, it’s better to just relax. We’re a small shop.”

“Already trying to teach Izuku-kun to be a slacker like you.” Ukai’s mom huffed and Deku laughed as Ukai rolled his eyes. 

The shop was nice, and Deku really could see himself handling it on his own in a week or two. Ukai’s mom was sweet but it was clear that she had already left most of the store in her son’s care as she focused on helping Ukai’s grandpa with the farm. 

“I’m hoping to move to the farm soon but I’ve been waiting for Keishin to find someone and finally settle down first. He can’t handle the store on his own.” Ukai’s mom sighed and Deku tensed as Ukai choked on his coffee. “I keep trying to set him up with the other young women in the neighborhood but I swear, all he cares about is volleyball. Did you play, dear?”

“N-no.” Deku deliberately didn’t look at Ukai as he continued to sweep the floor, remembering the lie that had told Ukai’s mom. “But my cousin, Takeda-sensei, he’s learned a lot and has been teaching me about it when I help out with the team.”

“Oh, Takeda-sensei.” Ukai’s mom sighed. “What a nice man, he also needs to find someone. Maybe I should see if he would be interested in-”

“Mom.” Coach Ukai’s voice sounded tense and Deku glanced up to see the man covering his eyes as if he had a headache. “You don’t need to marry off the whole town.”

“Well, I wouldn’t if you would just get married and get me some grandkids.” The woman laughed before she pat Deku on the shoulder. “Right, dear?”

Deku felt his heart race as he looked at the older woman who was smiling at him and looked back at Ukai who looked like he was about to say something but Deku just found himself blurting out, “Maybe the team counts as his kids?”

The woman laughed at that before nodding. “That does sound like Keishin, adopting teenagers instead of having his own. Maybe I should see if any of them would be interested in taking over the shop when his bad smoking habit kills him.”

“Mom.” Ukai said again but this time made a point of putting out his cigarette. 

“Don’t ‘mom’ me.” The woman huffed, her hands on her hips. “I’m allowed to be concerned for my only child. It’s a parent’s duty to make sure their kids are happy in life and I want to make sure you’re happy after I’m long gone. Volleyball is nice and fun but it doesn’t eat dinner with you or take care of you when you’re sick, now, a wife would do those things. Izuku, don’t you agree-”

She talked like aunt Mitsuki, Deku found himself rubbing the back of his head as he remembered how his mom’s best friend would constantly fill every room with her chatter if she wanted to. Deku just sighed as he thought about marriage. He thought of his friends he might not ever see again and he thought about Bakugo, the one person he had always thought would be with him until the end. “I probably won’t get married.”

There was a beat and Deku’s eyes widened as he realized what he said, he blinked, trying to think of what to say as he stared at her shocked face and the words just rolled out. “I think I was in love with my childhood friend and I never got to tell him and I’ll probably never see him again.”

There was a moment of silence before the doors to the shop slid open and Shimada, a guy who came to the practices occasionally walked in with a smile. “Look what I found! Some kid left a-”

Deku knew his face was bright red as he stared forward. Ukai’s mom’s cheeks were pink and even Ukai seemed to be blushing in collective mortification, embarrassment, and confusion before they all turned their attention to Shimada who looked at them awkwardly. “Is this a bad time?”

“No, no, of course not.” Ukai’s mom pat Deku on the shoulder with a smile. “Maybe we can talk some other time. I have a feeling I was being rude just now and made you say something you didn’t mean to. I hope you can forgive an old woman like me, and if you ever need an ear, I’m always happy to make Keishin work the front and we can have tea upstairs.”

“What-no-I mean, yes, but-” Deku felt his stomach twist, he hadn’t meant to make her feel bad but the woman waved him off with a smile. 

“I’m going to head upstairs and make lunch for everyone. Hope you all like fish.” The older woman laughed as she made her way to the apartment above the shop. It was only when the door shut upstairs with a thump that Ukai let out a groan as he covered his face.

“I’m sorry, I just-” Deku started pulling on his sleeves. He had decided to wear them, even with the warm weather, to make sure that he didn’t upset any of the customers. “It just came out, she honestly wasn’t bothering me.”

“I’ll tell her. She probably feels like she just forced you to come out and so she’s going to shower you with gifts for the next few days.” Ukai rubbed his head. “She actually is pretty progressive, for a woman her age, but she can’t help but always think of weddings as something for brides and grooms.”

“I’m confused but I’m going to assume it’s your fault.” Shimada sighed before he kicked Ukai in the side. “Stop being a coward and come out to your parents already, especially since they are progressive. You’ve been sucking too much dick for it to be a phase anymore.”

“It has only been one dick, thank you.” Ukai rubbed his side before he groaned. “I’m working on it.”

Both Deku and Shimada blinked at that and Ukai frowned. 

“Yes, I actually plan to tell my parents that I’m in a serious relationship. You heard how my mom spoke about sensei, she loves him.” Ukai huffed as he rubbed his side again. 

“But?” Shimada asked and Deku couldn’t help but wonder as well. If both Takeda and Ukai were committed to each other then wouldn’t it make sense for them to take it to the next level? 

“But-” Ukai growled as he lit a cigarette and went over to the counter. “Any time I try to bring it up with sensei . . . he gets weird. Anyway, that’s not your problem. I’m working on it so both of you shut up. Izuku, get over here.”

Deku hurried over and was surprised when the man dropped a giant book on the counter. “This is a phone book, there is a list of schools in the area. You should call them and see if you can find any info on your friend.”

Deku paused, glancing at Shimada before he smiled at Ukai and gave the man a nod. It actually wasn’t a bad idea and while Deku knew that it was probably unlikely he could get information about Eri from the schools, it was a place to start. Maybe someone knew something of the girl who had been found on the beach three decades ago. 

The rest of the day was spent on pretty fruitless phone calls, though Deku did talk to an older man who remembered the incident when it was in the news but didn’t know what had happened to the girl. Deku sighed, ready to dial another number when his phone buzzed and he found himself smiling when he saw it was Kenma. 

**Kenma - Nekoma HS**   
_I was able to get the photos off your phone, but the phone is useless now.  
Hope you don’t mind._

Deku typed back that he didn’t mind at all and was surprised when he got another response immediately. 

**Kenma - Nekoma HS**   
_Meet this weekend? Come to Tokyo?_

Deku wasn’t sure if he would be able to make that work but he made sure to let Kenma know that he would get back to him. The teen found himself smiling at the idea that some of his photos might have been saved, even if it was just a few, he would take it. 

Anything to remember his friends back home. 

…  
...  
…

Nearly eighteen months ago, Endeavor nearly bled out on the battlefield. 

He remembered everything about the fight until Shigaraki had used his quirk to stab three holes into Endeavor’s right side. His already overheated body had bled, he remembered tasting hot streams of his own blood as he coughed it up. After that, things got hazy. He remembered Shoto’s hand on his arm, making sure he didn’t fall. He remembered sharp pains of being jerked around, with only his adrenaline keeping his eyes open as he gasped for breath with one collapsed lung. 

He remembered his son’s face as Shoto yelled at him when they finally made it to the ground. 

Enji had wondered, for one brief moment, if this was how he died. Unable to do anything but lend lousy support to kids who were fighting bigger monsters than he had ever faced in his adult life. 

He lived. 

He remembered waking up in the hospital with his children nearby. It had only been Fuyumi’s tight grasp on his hand as tears fell down her cheeks that made him realize how close he had come to the end. He had stared at her and wondered what he had ever done for her to deserve this kind of devotion, and found himself swearing to do better by her as he managed to lift his free hand and place it on her head. 

Natsuo had been pale, the only sign that his son had been worried as he stood next to a worn out Shoto. Shoto was in patient robes but other than some bruising seemed and bags under his eyes, he seemed fine. Enji stared at his two sons and had only managed to whisper ‘sorry’ before Recovery Girl had shown up to whisk him away to another surgery. 

Enji still wasn’t sure exactly what he had been sorry for at the time but the man knew it had most likely been a lot of things. Sorry for not being a better dad. Sorry for not being a strong enough hero. Sorry for not being enough. 

Enji was sorry for a lot of things. 

His days at the hospital had been boring, mainly because Burnin refused to let him do any work while he was recovering and instead of paperwork had handed him a stack of romance novels he had seen her read around the office. Enji had glared at her as she smiled at him before he had sighed and dismissed her. The security at the hospital tightened and he no longer got to see Fuyumi and Nastuo but his daughter made a point to text him every morning to get an update on his health. Shoto came by his room, usually with Bakugo and Midoriya, and the three would have tea with him that usual turned into a heated discussion and what each of them could have done better. 

Then there had been Hawks. 

Enji had wondered why the younger man hadn’t visited him at the beginning but then he had learned about how bad Hawks’ condition had been once the dust had settled. As soon as Enji had gotten permission to move around, with a wheelchair, he had rolled himself over to the blond’s room and set up camp beside the sleeping form of his former team-up partner. 

Hawks had seemed so small and young in the hospital bed but after talking to a few doctors, and at one point basically begging Recover Girl to take a look at the blond, Hawks was going to be okay. His wings were never going to grow back, the horrible burn scars would always mark his body, but Hawks would live. Enji hadn’t realized how much the annoying hero had gotten under his skin until he had started spending most of his time in Hawks’ room. When the blond had woken up, it was clear that he was near a breaking point but as Enji made a point to spend more and more time with the younger man, Hawks started seeming more like himself. 

And Endeavor had started planning. 

While the world was busy discussing and rediscussing everything that had happened during the incident, Enji had used that time to talk to his lawyers to make sure he could sign the Todoroki estate to Fuyumi. While Best Jeanist made a point to be seen walking on the streets during the day, Endeavor was looking into his own rehabilitation . . . and Hawks’. Just because the blond didn’t have his wings didn’t mean that Hawks had to give up being a hero and Endeavor looked into that option for the blond. 

He didn’t know why, he couldn’t explain it to himself but Endeavor planned what his future would look like, it was if he was leaving an open spot for Hawks to be there as well. 

Then one night, after many days of dancing around each other, Enji realized he might know why he wanted to plan a future with Hawks. He had stared at the younger man, as Hawks’ thumb had pressed against the scar on his face and Enji had wanted to pull Hawks to him. Had wanted to hold on to the blond as he had grabbed Hawks’ hand with his own only to have the younger man leave a moment later. 

Enji felt confused, and disappointed. Disappointed in himself, for not realizing that maybe Hawks had been serious in all his flirting over the years. Disappointed that another person made his heart beat faster even though he was still married. Most of all, he had been disappointed in himself for not chasing after Hawks that night. 

The next day, Hawks was gone. 

Endeavor had only stepped outside to the front steps of the hospital to do the official press conference with Best Jeanist at his side and when Endeavor had returned he had found out that Hawks was missing.

Hawks had run. 

That maybe Hawks hadn’t been all that serious about the flirting, maybe it had all been in his head, the idea of some sort of future where they would work together. But Enji wasn’t one to sit still, he knew Hawks’ sidekicks and Shoto’s classmate Tokoyami would look for the blond hero. In the meantime, Endeavor had plans to execute. 

The first one had been officially separate from his wife. 

He hadn’t seen Rei in nearly a decade, her doctors had told him that just being there could make her condition worse and so Enji had chosen to bring flowers instead. It had been a cheap form of penance, but it had been all he could think about at the time. He had talked to her doctors, and had agreed to let her decide if she wanted to meet or not but he had taken days to write up a letter to send her with their separation papers. 

Turned out she was willing to meet him before she signed the papers. 

Enji had stood there in a black button down as she finally saw her and found himself looking away. He had loved her, he still loved her in a way, but he would never forgive himself for what he did to her. He hoped she would never forgive him either, he didn’t deserve it. 

“Enji.” Rei’s voice was soft and when he glanced up at her he could see her eyeing him, as if trying to understand. “Why are you giving me the Todoroki estate?”

Because it was all he had, otherwise he would have given her more. 

“If you agree to the divorce, you’ll get a monthly income as well as the Todoroki estate. “ He tried to keep his voice soft, remembering how the doctors had walked him through use of tone and he kept glancing at the nurse who sat off to the side who was just there to make sure nothing went south. “Everything will go to Fuyumi, she’ll actually be the controller of the Todoroki estate but until she decides what to do with it . . . I wanted to give you a home to have with the kids.”

They were silent, and Enji found himself trying to take a deep breath as he waited for her response. There was a moment before Rei let out a sigh that had Enji looking back up at her and she looked sad but more confused than anything else. “What about you?”

What about him?

Enji’s chance for a happy life with his family had already sailed, he just hoped that one day he would be able to spend time with them without making their life worse in the process. 

“I’m buying a condo downtown, closer to work.” Enji bowed his head a bit. “There will be enough room for the kids to visit if they wish.” 

But he sincerely doubted they would ever take him up on that offer. 

Except maybe Shoto. The youngest might if it made getting to his work study easier. Shoto was always a bit more pragmatic than other kids his age. 

“Are you . . .” Rei paused before she shook her head and gave Enji a small smile. A smile he didn’t deserve. “Are you seeing someone?”

“No, and I have no intention to.” Enji shook his head before he felt a small spark of guilt in his gut. Guilt over what? He wasn’t sure but he found himself admitting it to her. “There was a man who I thought might be interested, after the divorce, but I was wrong.”

If Rei was surprised, she did a better job of hiding it than the nurse did who was now openly gaping at Enji. He sent a glare to the nurse before he softened his gaze and bowed his head to his wife. “I know that this might seem like a surprise, but I am honestly hoping that you will agree to the terms. Everything is yours and if you want anything else, all you have to do is ask. Because of me, our family has been broken and you have missed seeing our children grow up, but I am hoping with these actions that you’ll be able to find happiness again with a house filled with our kids and laughter.”

Enji kept his head bowed until he heard her sign the papers, only then he looked up in surprise as she finished her signature before she gave him another sad smile. She didn’t say anything, just paused before taking off her wedding band and placing it on top of the paperwork. It was only when they stared at each other for a few more moments before she nodded. “I want to go home.”

“I’ll make sure it happens.” Enji whispered. 

She got up from her chair and made her way over to the nurse to be taken back to her room. Enji stared at her as she went and held his breath as she hesitated at the door before turning to him. “I don’t . . . hate you.” 

But she didn’t love him either, and Enji was prepared for that. 

He had been the one to burn that love out of her. 

He bowed to her one more time, only standing straight when he knew she had left before he grabbed the papers to hand them to the lawyer in the next room. He knew it would only be a matter of time before his divorce became public but Endeavor didn’t worry about that, he had other things to focus on like making sure to fill the gaps in hero coverage throughout the cities. 

There had been so much work to do. 

Then Hawks’ sidekicks had been found dead. 

The blond had been a constant in the back of Endeavor’s mind but it was only when Endeavor got the news of Hawks’ sidekicks dying that he realized that maybe there was something else going on. Endeavor had been so busy trying to not think about the man that he had missed something, the older man found himself growing furious as he realized how many things he had missed. 

The work never ended and Endeavor found himself pulling in Mirko for help to try and find Hawks. She had been happy to do so but as she started uncovering things, Endeavor just found himself with more questions. 

The months started blurring together. Finding out about the hit on Hawks, taking down a ring of villains who wanted to bomb hero agencies before they could act, finding out that Hawks might have worked with the HPSC longer than he realized, and not just for the League of Villains incident, Endeavor’s name being plastered over the news when his divorce finally went live, there was always something happening. Rei was officially home with the kids, and no longer hospitalized, Endeavor had his condo downtown, and then there was more work. 

Then the president of the HPSC died in a fiery explosion at her home. 

Then there had been Dabi. 

Endeavor had honestly thought he was going to die that day. His soul had been broken at the sight of his presumed dead eldest child and to realize how many times he himself had fought against Dabi, how many times Dabi had put Shoto’s life in danger. Endeavor thought, for just a moment as Shoto surrounded them in ice as Dabi burned alive, that he had seen Hawks run through the flames but the older man hadn’t been able to stay conscious enough to find out if Hawks had been there or not. 

Endeavor had thrown himself into work after that. Making sure Shoto got the help he needed through the Endeavor agency. The old man needed to figure out what had happened to Toya all those years ago and his team-up with Mirko was only growing as she agreed to help him look into the HPSC. 

Then Deku disappeared. 

And Endeavor had only thrown himself more into work; only it seemed everything he had been preparing might have been a waste of time as he stared at the blond who was still in his apartment. 

Eighteen Months. 

It had been nearly eighteen months since he had last seen the man and Endeavor didn’t know if he wanted to grab the blond to shake him, chain him to the nearest load bearing wall in his apartment, or if he should feed him instead. Hawks had always been lithe as a hero, but it was clear that in the man’s time . . . away? On the run? Whatever the hell it had been, Hawks had lost weight. He was still muscular, and Endeavor wondered if the man could still hold his own in a fight, but for as much as Hawks looked the same, he looked different. 

He looked older. 

“Endeavor-san.” Hawks' voice was the same, a deep voice with an amused lilt that made Endeavor feel warm. Hawks smiled as he put his hands in his pockets. “I should probably head out-”

“No.” Endeavor frowned at the thought of Hawks leaving while Hawks chuckled a bit. 

“You need to learn more words, Endeavor-san.” Hawks took a step towards the door and Endeavor grabbed the man’s arm so that Hawks would look at him. The golden eyes seemed to hesitate for a moment as he stared up at Endeavor. “Am I not allowed to leave?”

“Did you think you could set this up and not answer any of my questions? That I would just let you do things your way?” Endeavor crowded into the blond’s space, as Hawks continued to stare up at him even as the blond nearly backed into Endeavor’s kitchen table. “Where have you been?”

Endeavor wanted to ask why Hawks left but he swallowed down the words. 

Would knowing why change anything?

“I had something that I needed to take care of.” Hawks kept his voice even and for some reason that riled Endeavor up more. 

“Was it the hit that the League of Villains put on you?” Endeavor scoffed at Hawks’ face. “Don’t look surprised, I’ve been doing this longer than you’ve been alive. You didn’t think we would know?”

Endeavor watched as Hawks’ eyes narrowed, the younger man twisted his arm that was in Endeavor’s grip and shoved the number one hero back so that there was more space between them. Despite the force, Hawks’ had a smirk on his face as if they were talking about the weather and the blond just sighed as he pushed his hair back out of his face. “If you plan to hold me hostage here, that’s fine, I don’t mind playing house with you Endeavor-san.”

Endeavor did take another step back at that, unsure of how to react. Hawks didn’t mean it, he had never meant it, and the older man needed to remind himself of that. 

“If you need your stuff then we can go get it.” Endeavor motioned towards the entryway. “But then we are coming back here. I don’t care where you’ve been staying, if we are working together then you’re not leaving my sight.”

“Ah.” Hawks rubbed the back of his head before the blond sighed. 

“What?” Endeavor honestly was losing his patience.

Hawks just groaned before he rubbed his face, giving Endeavor a look before the blond pulled a phone from his pocket. The blond glanced at Endeavor again before he hit a few numbers and turned around to show his back to the older man. Endeavor just crossed his arms as he watched the blond make a phone call.

Endeavor tried not to think about the fact that Hawks had a phone, which meant the retired hero could have contacted him at any time. Why would Hawks contact Endeavor when Endeavor never responded before? Endeavor had only reached out once on his own and by then it had been too late. 

There was a distinct click and then some yelling. Endeavor felt himself close his eyes as he recognized the voice that Hawks was trying to talk to. 

“I need my stuff.” Hawks huffed out, trying to keep his voice quiet. “And I don’t think he’s going to let me leave.”

“He can’t kidnap you.” Mirko’s aggravated tones were clear despite Hawks' attempt at subtlety and Endeavor didn’t waste any time as he grabbed the phone out of Hawks’ hand and growled into the phone. 

“Mirko. You will get his stuff and come to my place now.” Endeavor hung up the phone before she could respond and handed it back to Hawks. “That answers two of my questions.”

Hawks seemed confused but Endeavor pulled out a chair at the table for the man and Hawks took a seat before Endeavor went into the kitchen to start the tea. The older man had to take a deep breath as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

“You’ve been with Mirko and that’s why you knew you could come to me.” Endeavor tried to connect the dots. He had a feeling that Hawks was looking into the HPSC as well and if he was then there was no reason the blond would trust Endeavor unless he had spoken with Mirko but there was also no way he had been with Mirko the whole time. 

Mirko was good, but she wasn’t patient. 

“Where were you before you went to Mirko?” Endeavor grabbed the cups he needed so he could bring the now hot pot over to the table. He took a seat at the other end, making sure to give the blond space but also wanting to keep an eye on all of Hawks expressions. “Why has the League of Villains been targeting you specifically?”

“You’re talking about the hit?” Hawks shrugged and Endeavor wondered what other information Hawks was glossing over but the older man kept his mouth shut. “They still haven’t forgiven me for killing Twice.”

A fact that Endeavor still couldn’t wrap his head around sometimes. 

He had heard the report from Tokoyami, about what had made Dabi burn the wings off of Hawks’ back. It would make sense that the hit was because of that, the hit had gone out while Hawks had still been in the hospital and it was clear that LOV could hold a grudge . . . but that didn’t explain Toga impersonating Hawks at crime scenes, something she hadn’t started until a year after the death of Twice. 

Something she hadn’t started until after Dabi’s death. 

Endeavor felt like something was clicking into place there but he had to force himself to move on. He needed to focus on the big point tonight and then he would make sure to get all of the other answers that needed from Hawks afterwards. 

Deku came first. 

“How much do you know about All for One?” Endeavor watched as Hawks took a sip of the tea before the younger man wrinkled his nose at it. If it had been nearly two years ago, Endeavor might have laughed at the reaction but he just found himself making a note to buy a sweeter flavor next time. 

“You really want to ask me what I know about Deku and about his quirk.” Hawks pushed the tea cup away from him as he turned his attention back to Endeavor. “Everything. I learned most of it while I was undercover with the Paranormal LIberation Front, and I was able to put everything else together on my own.”

Endeavor didn’t like the sound of that but he also doubted anyone else would be able to put things together like Hawks could. The young man’s mind was sharp. 

“You know-”

“You might be surprised with how many people know the truth.” Hawks leaned forward on the table and put his face in his hand as he stared at Endeavor. “But don’t worry, I haven’t told anyone and I don’t plan to.”

Endeavor actually hadn’t been worried about that. He eyed the blond before glancing at the clock. It would only be a matter of time before Mirko got here and then they could really dive into things. Endeavor wanted to know how much of the information he had found had been from Hawks and how much had been from other sources. 

“Do you know where Modoriya is?” Endeavor was almost impressed with how he was able to keep his own voice calm. 

Hawks paused for a moment before he got up from his chair and pulled out the chair next to Enji so that they were sitting beside each other. Hawks stared at the older man for a moment, before tapping the table with his gloved hand. “I don’t know where he is but I know how we can find him.”

And that’s why he needed Bakugo, Endeavor put another piece in place. If Hawks could have gotten Deku on his own then he would have, this meant Hawks needed someone who was connected to Deku closer than he was. 

Endeavor crossed his arms over his chest, ready to ask another question about Hawks plans before he paused as he stared at the other man. Hawks seemed to realize that Endeavor was hesitating and the blond smirked. “Ask me whatever you want, Endeavor-san.”

Endeavor could think of a lot of questions that he wanted to know the answer to. What exactly are his plans for Bakugo? Why didn’t Hawks come to him sooner? What was Hawks' relationship to the HPSC? Why didn’t Hawks come to him at the hospital, if the blond truly knew he was in trouble?

“Why did you run away?”

…  
...  
…

Kenma had a problem. 

To be honest, Kenma had a lot of problems.

But only one of his problems was well over six feet tall. The setter glared over to Lev who was doing his stretches off to the side. Honestly the grey haired teen had been doing everything right for the past few days but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that Lev had been quiet, and a quiet Lev put the whole team on edge. 

It had started after they had all seen the photos on Midoriya’s phone. Yamamoto had felt like everyone had been over reacting and Kenma had agreed with Tora a bit on that front. They had no idea what those photos meant or what they could mean and they wouldn’t until Kenma could talk to Midoriya. Kuro had honestly been fine until the video with Izuku in the hospital and even after everyone left the older college student had hopped on the phone with Sawamura of all people. Lev had gone quiet and when Kenma had tried to ask him about it the tall teen had just waved him off and left to go home. 

That had been days ago and Lev was still acting weird. 

“Kenma . . .” The teen turned to see Shibiyama and Inuoka walking over to him. The libero rubbed the back of his neck as they both glanced over to where Lev was. “We need you to call Yaku.”

Kenma clicked his tongue. 

He didn’t want to call Yaku, the libero was in the middle of tryouts overseas. There was a good chance that Yaku would get picked up quickly but Kenma had heard enough complains from Kuroo about how stressed Yaku had been. While it was clear Yaku had graduated with a soft spot for Lev, and Lev definitely had formed an attachment to the libero, Kenma wasn’t sure this would help either of them. 

“Kenma!” The teen turned to see Inuoka gesturing to Lev wildly and turned his attention to see the team’s self-proclaimed ace staring at his hands and not doing anything else. 

Fuck it. 

Kenma was too tired for this and he didn’t mind passing Lev off. The teen pulled out his phone and texted Kuroo with some heated words so that his boyfriend would know he was serious. There was a small pause before Kuroo was texting back and Kenma glanced up to see Shibiyama and Inuoka smiled at him. “What?”

“Nothing.” Shibiyama laughed before shaking his head. “Does Kuroo ever not respond to your texts immediately?” 

Kenma paused as he thought about it before he shrugged. 

Kuroo would never leave him on ‘read’. 

Kenma turned back to his phone to see Kuroo sent him a shopping list of things he needed so that he could cook for them later and the teen figured it meant that Kuroo was contacting Yaku. Kenma glanced over to even see coach Nekomata staring at Lev with some worry but it didn’t matter because only a moment later Lev’s phone went off loudly with Daft Punks ‘Get Lucky’ and everyone on the team let out a silent cheer as they all knew at this point who had been assigned that ringtone. 

Lev grabbed his phone and seemed shocked before he finally answered it and everyone seemed to let out a sigh of relief as Lev smiled brightly. “Yaku-san!”

Deciding that practice was a loss for the day, Kenma turned his attention to his vice-captain. “Tora, let everyone work on serving for the rest of the day. I’m going home.” 

“Take Lev with you and I’ll even cover you with the coach.” Yamamato laughed as he pointed to Lev who was still on the phone and seemed to be nodding at whatever Yaku was saying. “He’s going to be a distraction for the rest of the day so you might as well take him with you, yeah?”

Kenma sighed. 

He really didn’t want to but he figured it made sense. Kenma grabbed his bag and Lev’s before grabbing onto the tall wing spiker who was still on the phone and dragging both the bags and Lev out of the gym. Kenma could already hear Tora talking to Coach and knew that it would be fine as he dragged the other teen to the locker room so they could grab the rest of their stuff and leave. 

“Oh, Yaku-san, Kenma is dragging me away.” Lev laughed before he started walking on his phone. “How do you like my second home? Russia is beautiful, right?”

Kenma rolled his eyes. 

“I’m fine-no-well . . .” Lev eyed Kenma for a second once they were out of the gym before he slumped against the phone. “I have a problem and I don’t know how to solve it.”

Kenma wished he could give the other teen privacy but as Lev followed him to the locker room he was going to end up hearing everything. Lev tried to make small talk but Yaku tried to get straight to the point on figuring out why Lev was down before Lev finally sighed. “Thanks for calling, Yaku-san, I know it’s early for you. Don’t worry about me, I just need to talk to Kenma and I’ll be fine. Yeah. Okay. I miss you.”

There was a sharp click and Lev laughed as he smiled at Kenma while holding his phone. “Yaku-san never admits that he misses me too but I know he does.”

Kenma wasn’t so sure, he still wasn’t even sure where Lev and Yaku had ended their weird friendship when Yaku had left but Kenma honestly didn’t need to know. “You said you needed to talk.”

Lev paused, his smiling falter a bit as he rubbed the back of his head. “Can we go to your place? Or Kuro’s? I wanted to see the photos again.”

Kenma narrowed his eyes at that. The teen had decided to drop the conversation until he was able to talk to Izuku in person this weekend but he wasn’t sure how he felt about going through the photos again. They weren’t his, and were most likely meant to be private. Lev seemed to notice Kenma’s hesitation and the teen groaned before he pulled out his own phone again. Kenma watched as Lev seemed to scroll for a bit before he turned it around to show Kenma a picture of what Kenma assumed was Lev’s family, since the teen’s older sister was there. 

“What?” Kenma really needed Lev to use his words. 

“The little girl in Midoriya’s photos, with the silver hair.” Lev pressed his fingers on his phone to zoom in on the older woman’s face. Kenma blinked as he noticed her own silver hair and red eyes, while Lev took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to explain it but I’m pretty sure the little girl in Midoriya’s photos is my mom.”

Kenma blinked before he glanced at Lev, actually started to feel worried for a different reason. “That makes no sense.”

“No.” Lev agreed before he glanced at the photo of his mom on his phone. “And I can’t really explain it but I need to see those photos again. I need to check something.”

…  
…  
…

His body couldn’t move. 

Todoroki’s body felt heavy as if he was strpped down but he couldn’t feel anything against his skin. He took a breath, trying to figure out what was happening, where he was, but his eyes wouldn’t open.

There was someone there. 

Someone was in the room with him. 

He tried to move again but his body wouldn’t respond. Todoroki couldn’t even feel the tips of his fingers but his mind seemed to be working as the rest of him wasn’t. He tried to take another breath and hated how it faltered partway through, the uncertainty of his situation getting to him as he tried to come to his senses. 

There was something on his stomach. 

Fingers. 

A hand that slowly moved up and down as if testing Todoroki’s senses. The teen tried not to flinch at the touch but he did as the fingers seemed to dig into his skin before they crawled up his chest. There was a sharp pain that had him hissing before suddenly the hand was around his neck. Todoroki tried to hit the person away but his body didn’t respond as the hand squeezed and he choked against the pressure. 

_”How about I live and you be the one that dies this time, little brother.”_

Todoroki sat up immediately, his arm swinging out to shove Dabi away from him only for the teen to roll off the mattress he was on and fall on the floor as the teen realized he was in the UA dorms. He blinked, the unfamiliar room showing him rows of books before he glanced back at the bed to see Iida sleeping soundly. 

Iida. 

They had been watching a documentary on quirks and the biology behind them when they must have fallen asleep. Todoroki ran a hand through his hair as he glanced around the room one more time. 

Dabi wasn’t here. 

Dabi couldn’t be here. 

Dabi was dead. 

“Shoto?” Todoroki turned to look back over at the bed and was met with Iida’s bad case of bed hair as the teen tried to rub his eyes but his glasses got in the way. “What time is it?”

Todoroki reached over to place his hand on Iida’s ankle, letting his thumb press on the warm skin as he took another breath. He was fine. He knew he was fine. The teen glanced over at the clock near Iida’s bed and smirked. “Not even midnight, but I should probably head back to my room.” 

Iida blinked slowly, clearly still half asleep and Todoroki found himself letting out a huff as he got up so that he could crawl back on the bed. He let his hand on Iida’s ankle move up slowly on the other teen’s leg, watching how Iida seemed to wake up as Todoroki’s hand stopped on the teen’s knee. Todoroki crawled a little further so that he was between Iida’s legs and rested both his hands on the teen’s bare knees before letting his fingers spread out so that they were touching the skin just barely hidden under Iida’s shorts. 

“Sh-shoto.” Iida’s cheeks were pink as he stared at Todoroki and it made the smaller teen hum. He really should go back to his dorm. Iida had classes in the morning and then work study in the afternoon, not that Todoroki’s schedule was much different but the teen wanted to be conscious of the fact that his dad hadn’t called him all weekend which meant Endeavor was most likely in a mood which meant Iida might have a rough afternoon. 

Todoroki moved to pull back, ready to go back to his room before there was a hand behind his neck and he was pulled forward into a rather chaste kiss. Iida seemed embarrassed by the action but Todoroki didn’t let the taller teen dwell on it too long because he chased Iida’s lips until he had the larger teen was falling back on the mattress and dragging Todoroki with him. They separated briefly, both blushing, before Iida widened his legs so that Todoroki could fit more snuggly on top of him. 

“I really should go back to my dorm.” Todoroki whispered against Iida’s lips and then proceeded to deepen the kiss as Iida opened up beneath him. His hands had moved up so that one was pushing up Iida’s shirt while the other one kept him upright so that he could keep an eye on the other teen. 

“We have to wake up early tomorrow.” Iida gasped when they separated again and Todoroki would have taken it as a sign to leave but Iida’s hips kept pressing into his own and it was evident that both teens were hard. Iida’s voice was strained as he kept talking. “We should be responsible.”

“We should.” Todoroki agreed before he kissed the teen again. Letting his tongue press against Iida’s while his hips pressed down as well causing the blue haired teen to gasp. 

Iida’s hands were warm on Todoroki’s back as they slowly slid down to the teen’s waist. The smaller teen licked Iida’s lips as he continued to rock them together, Iida sucked in another breath and Todoroki kissed the teen’s jaw before sucking on Iida’s neck. He was careful to not leave a mark and then Todoroki grunted as he felt Iida thrust back up against him. 

Hot. 

He was so warm. 

“We should stop.” Iida was suddenly shoving Todoroki up, his face bright as he made sure there was more space between them . . . which was more awkward because they were both clearly hard and tenting in their shorts. The class rep cleared his throat and gave Todoroki a pleading look. 

He was right. 

As much as Todoroki wanted to continue, they needed to stop there. He took a breath and nodded, he wasn’t going to push Iida for more. 

Todoroki took another breath and grabbed Iida’s arms so that he could lean forward and kiss the teen one last time before he pulled back. “Good night, Tenya.”

Tenya’s eyes looked a bit glassy, as if whatever resolve he had was about to crumble but Todoroki crawled off the bed and grabbed his jacket and bag before adjusting himself so that his hard on wasn’t so obvious. He could take care of himself once he got back to his room. 

“Sh-Shoto.” Iida’s voice was strained and Todoroki turned back to see his boyfriend clearly tired but also awake. “Friday night, maybe I can stay in your room?”

Todoroki felt his face heat up as he realized they both didn’t have morning classes on Saturday and found himself nodding before making a hasty retreat to his own room. He knew if he had stayed any longer he might have just crawled in Iida’s bed again. 

The teen grabbed the neckline to his shirt and pulled it from his body to help try and cool down as his skin felt warm for a reason that had nothing to do with his quirk. He loved how Iida let him touch him and while maybe they were moving fast (if you asked Uraraka) or slow (if you asked Denki) but Todoroki felt more comfortable in this relationship than he had in his last one. Maybe it was because he had already been friends with Iida beforehand, or maybe it was because they just fit nicely together, but Todoroki found himself looking forward to seeing the teen again in the morning. 

“Someone stayed out past curfew.” Monoma’s jeering voice greeted Todoroki when the elevator doors opened on the second floor. The teen blinked to see Monoma in his hero gear before glancing at Shinso who was in his pjs clearly seeing his boyfriend off. Monoma just smirked, causing a small blush to form on Todoroki’s cheeks. “I would report you to your Class Rep, but I have a feeling he knows exactly where you were.”

“I clearly didn’t fuck you hard enough if you can antagonize everyone you see immediately after.” Shinso yawned and it was Monoma blushing this time, causing Todoroki to raise an eyebrow at the two of them. 

“Isn’t it a bit late for your work study?” Todoroki stepped out of the elevator and motioned at Monoma’s outfit. “I didn’t realize Pro Hero Booster worked this late.”

Pro Hero Booster was a man in his thirties who had an unusual quirk that, like Monoma’s quirk, relied on the quirks of those around him. Booster could ‘boost’ or amplify the quirks of those around him and he tended to work with more established heroes like Kamui Woods or Wash. Todoroki had actually thought it was a good match for Monoma to work with Booster, since the thing that Monoma needed the most work on was hand to hand combat and Booster was an expert. Apparently he had gone to the same school as Pro Hero Gun Head. 

“We have a special assignment.” Monoma shrugged like it was no big deal before he turned to Shinso and pulled the taller teen down into a rather filthy kiss that had Todoroki looking away. “I’ll see you in three days.”

“Be safe.” Shinso’s voice was soft and Todoroki wished he could just transport into his room so he didn’t have to witness this private moment. 

Monoma kissed Shinso one last time on the forehead before he made his way in the door. He gave Todoroki a wink as the doors shut and Todoroki found himself glancing at Shinso who actually seemed worried for a moment. “Is it dangerous? The assignment?”

“Since when do they have to be dangerous for something to still go wrong?” Shinso sighed, there was no heat in his words, he was just stating facts and Todoroki gave him a nod. The purple haired teen yawned. “I’m glad you and Iida are doing well.”

Todoroki did blush then. “Glad to see you and Monoma are still going strong.”

“Ha.” Shinso smiled widely at that. “If we survive this year I might marry the bastard, I love that asshole.”

Todoroki didn’t know what to say to that but he didn’t have to say anything because Shinso waved him off with a good night and then both teens were escaping to their rooms to get some sleep before the start of the week. 

…  
...  
…

“You’re so beautiful.” Ukai knew that sensei hated it when he said that while they were having sex but he honestly couldn’t think of any other way to describe the man. 

How did he ever get so lucky?

“Kei-ei-shin-” Takeda gasped as he sat on top of Ukai’s lap, his arms pressed against the coach’s chest as he tried to keep his balance as the younger man continued to thrust into him. Ukai couldn’t help but smirk as Takeda’s glasses moved with each thrust but still somehow managed to stay on the man’s face. 

“Sensei, let’s do this every day.” Ukai groaned as Takeda seemed to tighten around him. He had to slow the pace so that he could get his feet more firmly on the mattress. They were both sweating and as much as Ukai loved the friction, he didn’t want his legs to give out as he grabbed the teacher’s wrists to steady the older man and started moving faster. 

“No-wait!” Takeda threw his head back, the teacher’s own legs slipping on the sheets forcing him to take the coach in deeper as a keening noise fell from his lips. The older man seemed to be unable to catch his breath as Ukai continued to pound into him and the coach wanted to lick the man’s neck but couldn’t in this position. 

“You’re squeezing me so tightly, sensei.” Ukai was afraid if he let go of the man’s hands that Takeda would fall off so he kept a firm grip. “Sensei, if you don’t relax this is going to end soon.”

“Please!” The teacher choked out and Ukai wanted to laugh but he had to admit that he really was about to finish. He let his legs settle on the mattress and pulled Takeda forward so that the older man was laying on his chest as he moved the older man’s hips with his hands to keep the pacing going. “I’m coming!”

Ukai felt a hot spurt against his stomach as he kept moving and groaned as the teacher shuddered against him. There was a moment as Ukai felt himself getting close before Takeda sat up to kiss the younger man and all it took to set Ukai over the edge was Takeda shoving his tongue against Ukai’s and then the coach was gone. 

“We . . . should shower.” Ukai groaned when he finally separated from the kiss and tried to catch his breath. Takeda hissed a bit as he sat up and the younger man rubbed the teacher’s thigh muscles as an apology. “Maybe I went a little hard.”

“Maybe?” Takeda’s voice was rough in a way that it only got after sex and honestly, Ukai wished he could be raring to go one more time just to hear it more. The teacher seemed to read his mind as he laughed before he rolled off the younger man and got to his feet. “I’ll shower, alone, and you can change the sheets.”

Ukai couldn’t even complan as the teacher ran away and instead gave himself a moment before he got to his feet as well. He grabbed the top sheet and used it to wipe himself off before he stripped the bed and took the dirty sheets to the washer that sensei had. It didn’t take him long to find the clean sheets, since Takeda’s apartment was his second home, but it made Ukai feel warm to be so familiar with Takeda’s place. 

Shimada was right, Ukai had been a coward about this relationship for too long. The coach finished making the bed and wondered if he should join the teacher in the shower. 

He loved Takeda-sensei. 

He loved the man so much that Ukai wanted to come out to his family. He honestly didn’t think his parents would care, his mom wanted grandchildren but honestly there were already so many kids in their family homes from Ukai’s students to his grandpa’s students that Ukai didn’t think she would really mind. It was more of a habit for her to bring it up now than anything else. 

Ukai felt his face heat up as he made his way into the bathroom and smirked as he was able to get his hands on a very naked and wet sensei. “Keishin, we’re not going another round!”

“Let’s move in together.” Ukai kissed the back of the older man’s neck. 

“What?” Takeda turned to look with confusion before the older man shook his head and grabbed some soap from the wall. The older man laughed a bit before he started to lather up Keishin’s hair. “I’ve heard of sex brain but you’re being silly.”

Keishin tried not to flinch at the man’s reaction, even as his chest felt a little tighter. 

“I’m serious, sensei.” Ukai let his hands run down the older man’s arms as Takeda continued to wash his hair. “Let’s live together. My parents are going to move to the farm at the end of the year and I was thinking that we could-”

“That’s not going to happen, how would you even explain it to your family?” Takeda’s hands stopped as he stared at the younger man. 

“Sensei . . . Ittetsu, I want to tell my parents about us.” Ukai kept his voice soft, realizing how tense the older man had become but it didn’t matter because suddenly Takeda was shoving him under the water to get the soap out of his face. 

“Finish washing yourself, I need to think.” The teacher escaped before Ukai could grab him and the coach couldn’t fight the disappointment that came over him as the door to the bathroom slammed shut. 

So much for that plan. 

…  
...  
…

Hawks stood in the shower and wondered what the hell he was doing. 

He was still in Endeavor’s apartment, apparently now under house arrest which wasn’t too bad. Endeavor had more space than Mirko did, and Hawks really enjoyed the view from the top of the high-rise, but to suddenly be surrounded by the man was something Hawks hadn’t been ready for. 

That first night still seemed like a nightmare but Hawks could recall everything clearly. How Endeavor had cornered him physically, how Hawks hadn’t been able to shut his smart mouth only to have the man that he had admired for so long accuse him of running away. Hawks hadn’t been able to argue because Endeavor had been right, Hawks had run away, but not for whatever reasons the older man had come up with. 

Hawks also hadn’t been able to answer because Mirko, for better or worse, had chosen that moment to slam into the apartment with Hawks things. 

Then things had only gotten worse for Hawks. 

Hawks didn’t sleep that first night in Endeavor’s apartment, even if he had been given a guest room. It was a small and elegant room, tatami floors like the rest of the apartment, and Hawks had honestly wondered if this was a room that had ever been used or if Endeavor just had an extra room in case his kids did stop by. 

He felt bad about that thought a second later when he found some extra UA uniforms that clearly were too small for Shoto now. At least one of Endeavor's kids stayed with their dad sometimes. 

That night had set Hawks on edge as he had to talk around Mirko and Endeavor. He didn’t want to put everything on the table, not after all this time, he couldn’t open himself up like that -- and it was clear that the two pro heroes were not happy with his evasive answers. He was straight forward where he could be but he still had to keep things close to the chest. Hawks trusted them with his life but he couldn’t trust them with his secrets. 

Not yet. 

Mirko had left after getting a call when the sun had risen. Hawks had been exhausted but instead of finally getting some sleep, Endeavor had actually brought out a computer that contained all the older man’s research on the HPSC, and Mirko’s research, and had Hawks start combing through it to help them find if the whole commission was rotten or if it had only been key players. 

Hawks also found Endeavor’s search for him, it was locked and the blond wished he could crack the password but decided to leave it alone for now. 

Endeavor didn’t need to look for him now, Hawks was officially within his grasp. 

Hawks sighed into the hot water. He had a fantasy about that once, when he had gotten his ears pierced and had talked to the piercer about other places people could get pierced. Hawks had honestly considered getting his nippled pierced but ultimately had passed on it but he had fantasized about Endeavor being into some pain play, tying Hawks up and abusing the younger man’s body with full consent. 

The blond felt his cock twitch at the idea and cursed himself. 

He shouldn’t be turned on in his situation, it was just another sign of how not normal he was, but the blond couldn’t help but grip his cock and start teasing it. 

He was in Endeavor’s home. 

A single, not married, still hot as hell Endeavor’s home. 

Sure, Hawks was playing with fire in both a literal and figurative way, but he couldn’t help but wonder what could happen if he survived all of this. If he was alive with the HPSC taken care of and Deku back, would he finally have a chance-

No. 

Hawks hissed as he forced the water to go from hot to freezing and he let go of himself. This wasn’t a time for fantasies of a future he didn’t deserve. Endeavor was pissed and worried about him and Hawks was going to jerk off to the man? No. 

At least not this time. 

He hurried through the rest of the shower, shivering and just wanting to stumble in bed. Endeavor had made it clear that Hawks was going to the Endeavor Agency tomorrow and Hawks needed to rest so that he could be on the top of his game for whatever Endeavor had in store. It was clear that the older man wasn’t going to play by Hawks tune willingly so Hawks needed to find a way to make his way the only possible way. 

The blond stumbled out of the shower, grabbing the nearest towel to wipe off and wrap around his waist. He sighed as he caught sight of himself in the mirror, he had always liked his body and he still did. He was fit and he had always made a point to take care of himself. Sure, he was a little thinner than he had been but a year of pain and rehab did wonders for the appetite. 

It was always the scars that made him pause. 

His hands were darker than his arms, their uneven texture seeming off but Hawks couldn’t help but feel they were an accurate representation of his blood stained hands. Dabi’s last revenge, Hawks wondered, making sure that the blond ex-hero would never forget the lives he had taken with these hands. 

His back was worse. 

The scars from Dabi that had taken his wings were a dark red, almost as if mimicking Hawks feathers, and spread across his holw back. He could see the edges of it when he wore anything with a loose neck and so Hawks tended to stick with tighter fitting clothes. 

There were other scars of course, from Hawks childhood to his most recent run in with Toga, but nothing stood out more than Dabi’s. 

There was a tap on the door before it opened and Hawks only a brief moment wondering if he could hide but it was too late and Endeavor was standing before him with a stack of clothes and a frown. “Mirko said that you would need more clothes so here are some of mine, they won’t fit but it could be a start before we get you more.”

Hawks wanted to kill Mirko, and did not want to think about Endeavor buying him clothes. 

He also didn’t want to think about how the man’s eyes roamed down his body before glancing back up again. The older man’s eyes flicked back to Hawks hands and his frown deepened causing the younger man to hurry over and grab the stack of clothes. 

“Thank you, Endeavor-san!” Hawks hated how high his voice got in that moment as he took the clothes and stepped away only to pause when Endeavor grabbed his arm. 

“Who burned your hands?” The man’s voice was rough and Hawks was not wearing enough clothes to let himself be manhandled so he snapped his hand away with a smile. 

“Endeavor-san, you know I don’t kiss and tell.” Hawks laughed, feeling like his heart was about to explode and trying to find a way to make the man leave. “What time are we waking up?”

Endeavor looked like he was about to push it but the older man snapped his jaw shut before growling out an insanely early number and stomping away. Hawks flinched when the door shut but didn’t hesitate before he threw on the shirt first only to realize what Endeavor meant when he said ‘his clothes’. 

Hawks had assumed it had been spares for one of his sons but no, he was wearing Endeavor’s shirt. The neck was so wide it nearly fell off Hawks shoulder’s and Hawks couldn’t help the small thought of ‘boyfriend shirt’ that entered his mind as he stared at himself in the ridiculously baggy shirt with the Endeavor Agency logo on it. 

He was so fucked. 

He should have just kidnapped Bakugo off the streets and then disappeared again like he had first thought he would do. 

The shirt ended before Hawks’ knees and the (clearly) smaller man didn’t even bother with pants as he grabbed everything and made his way back to his room. He needed to go to sleep and he needed to do it now before he made a fool of himself even further. 

…  
…  
…

Deku stared at his phone with confusion, unsure of what to do. 

**Kenma - Nekomata HS**   
_Something came up. Can’t meet._   
_Will give you pics next week when crows are in town for practice match._   
_Sry_

Deku had forgotten he had turned off his phone last night and it was only now, as he stood at the Tokyo station, that he turned it back on to see the message. He didn’t want to make Kenma feel bad by telling the teen he was already in Tokyo but he also didn’t know what he should do next. The teen zipped up his Karasuno jacket, a gift from the team when he had managed to spike without hitting the net, and made his way out of the station finding himself getting excited about a day in the city. 

He sent Kenma back a text telling him not to worry about it and to thank the teen again for helping him out. He paused before he also sent a text to Takeda-sensei to update the older man on the plans just in case anything happened. Deku wasn’t sure what could happen in a world without villains but he knew the older man worried. 

His first stop was to a nearby store to get a city map and some food before he made his way to the streets and started walking. 

Everything was different. 

Incredibly different. 

The teen stared at the Tokyo Sky Tree and actually felt himself missing the Tokyo Sky Egg. He didn’t know how long he stared at the giant tower but he could feel the city move around him and wondered what his friends were doing. How their work studies were going. If they felt his absence like he felt theirs and if everything seemed to be moving forward despite that absence? 

Was his mom okay?

Of course she was okay, Deku smiled a bit to himself. His dad would take care of her, and All Might would take care of her, and if they all failed then Aunt Mitsuki would take care of her. 

Honestly, Kacchan was probably doing his share too. 

Just the thought of Kacchan taking care of his mom made Deku laugh to himself. His mom was always quick to cry and Kacchan was quick to yell, the neighbors would probably call to complain about the noise if both of them got worked up. 

Deku took a breath as he made his way through the streets. Everyone back home would be okay without him. He worried about what they would do without his quirk, but he knew that if his friends worked together then they would find a way to protect everyone. He had to believe in them because there was nothing else he could do. 

No. 

That wasn’t right. 

He honestly believed in his friends. 

Deku glanced at his scared arms and found himself wondering if his quirk was still here. He tried to activate it but nothing had worked yet but he wasn’t ready to give up yet. He made sure to exercise and keep his body in shape, one day he would use One for All again and he didn’t want to explode if his body couldn’t handle it. 

Kacchan would never let him live it down if that happened. 

Kacchan. 

Deku felt like a moron. His thoughts were all over the place as he walked through the streets of a city he should recognize but didn’t. He couldn’t help but think of his friends and family that he left behind. He couldn’t help but wish that he could find a way to go back to them but he also found himself trying to come to terms with his new reality. In this world with no quirks, the chances of him ever getting back home was nearly impossible. 

He needed to accept it. 

Really accept it. 

Just like he needed to accept the fact that he had failed Eri. He had tried to save her from the nomu but she had ended up with the nomu and not Deku and now they were separated by decades of time. 

He hoped she was happy. 

He hoped maybe, just maybe, she would forgive him for not being able to save her. Deku knew he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself but he still hoped. 

The teen sighed as he eyed the map and glanced back up at the street he was on. He found himself standing outside of where the Endeavor Agency should have been and instead found a multifloor bookstore. A choked laugh left Deku’s throat at the sight of the books as he remembered that flammable stores like this weren’t allowed on the same block of Endeavor’s agency and in this world, the bookstore stood proud in the agency’s place. 

The teen didn’t know why but it made him laugh. 

“Oi, who let a baby crow out of its nest?” There was a deep voice before suddenly a hand landed on Deku’s shoulder. The teen jumped before turning around to glance up at a tall, brown haired man who was glaring down at him. The guy’s eyes narrowed further when he saw Deku’s face. “I don’t recognize you. What year are you? Are you skipping school in the city?”

“Shut up, Crappykawa.” A shorter, bulkier, man smacked the back of the burnette’s head making the person let go of Deku. The teen turned to stare at both of them in confusion.

“So mean, Iwa-chan!” The burnette pouted, suddenly making him seem younger, as he rubbed the back of his head. “I just wanted to check on this lost crow.”

“You were harassing a high school student when you’re supposed to be shopping for things you might need that they won’t have in Argentina.” The dark haired teen sighed before glancing at Deku. “And I don’t think this kid goes to Karasuno.”

Deku found it jarring to be called a kid when it became more clear that these two were mostly like only a year or two older than him but he didn’t point that out, instead he put on a smile. “Oh, you know Karasuno’s team? My uncle, Takeda-sensei, is the faculty coach. They gave me this jacket since I help out sometimes.”

“You? Related to Takeda-sensei?” The lighter haired brunette scoffed and it made Deku freeze. It was the first time he had gotten a reaction like that from some, most people said they could see the resemblance. Instead, the taller teen eye Deku. “Have you seen Takeda-sensei? I have no interest in older men but let me tell you, those looks are-”

There was another smack and the tall brunette was kneeling on the ground as he held his head and hissed in pain. The shorter of the pair glared at him before looking at Deku. “Ignore him, he’s a moron. The only thing he is good for is volleyball.”

“That hurt!” The teen on the ground hissed. 

“I’m Iwaizumi Hajime, and this is Oikawa Toru. We played Karasuno a few times last year, our schools are in the same division.” Iwaizumi paused before smirking. “And Shittykawa’s precious student is Karasuno’s setter.”

“He’s not my student!” Oikawa huffed and Iwaizumi just smirked more. 

“So you admit that he’s precious to you?” And then Deku watched as the two wrestled in the middle of the sidewalk, both not willing to give up the upper hand. The teen took a step back and glanced at the bookstore, not sure if he should give them space and be on his way. 

“It was nice to meet-” Deku had taken another step back but stopped as a hand landed on his shoulder. 

“No you don’t.” Oikawa smirked as he lifted his phone up to take a pic of the two of them before writing a quick text with a smirk. The older teen glanced at his friend before smiling at Deku. “Let’s get to know each other.”

Deku didn’t even get a chance to respond before the phone in his pocket started going off. The teen paused as he pulled it out to see he was getting texts from Hinata and Kageyama telling him to run away from the Great King. There was a call coming in and Deku motioned to answer it but Oikawa grabbed his phone away from him, smirked at the sight of the caller, before answering himself. “To-bi-o-chan! Wow, those are choice words for your senpai. If you’re that worried for your friend then you should come find him before I have my way with Takeda-sensei’s precious nephew.”

Deku’s face went red at the innuendo and he glanced over at the other teen who didn’t seem to be paying attention to Oikawa but was texting on his own phone. When Iwaizumi glanced up, he just shrugged. “Let him have his fun, I’ll get him to buy you lunch. Craving anything?”

Deku turned to see Oikawa was now cackling into his phone and the teen just sighed. Were all volleyball players this weird? “I like katsudon.”

Iwaizumi just nodded before he grabbed the phone from Oikawa, hung up, and then handed it back to Deku. “Let’s get some food.”

“Iwa-chan, you didn’t have to hang up. I wanted to see if I could get Tobio to ride his bike here.” Oikawa groaned and it made Deku smile because the teen could see Kageyama riding his bike all the way to Tokyo. Or at least attempting to. 

Well, Deku smiled as he followed after Iwaizumi after sending everyone a text on the chain to let him know that he was okay. Now was a good time to learn more about his new friends. “So you both play volleyball? What were your positions?”

…  
…  
...

“Do I want to know why you agreed to go to the Endeavor agency after all this time?” Aizawa’s voice sounded tired, more tired than usual, and it made Bakugo wonder what else the teacher had on his plate. 

“I talked it out with the old man.” Bakugo kicked his foot up on the table as he leaned back in his chair only to have Aizawa knock it off and force the teen to sit up straight. Bakugo clicked his tongue before he sighed. “I’m going to graduate at the top of the class and it only makes sense that I work with the number one hero.”

“Which is something Shota has been saying for months.” Mirio’s chipper voice spoke up from the kitchen and Bakugo glared in the direction of the older blond but couldn’t see the fucker so he let it go. 

Mirio wasn’t wrong. 

“I needed to sort it out on my own.” Bakugo grumbled before he glanced back at his teacher. As much as he wanted to tell Aizawa everything, he thought it would be better to see what Endeavor’s plan was first. Hawks was one thing, but Bakugo had a feeling that if he told Aizawa everything then the teacher would send him to a work study in another country. 

Overprotective badass. 

Aizawa just eyed him for a moment before the older man sighed. “I got Endeavor’s request last night so you will be good to join Iida and Tokoyami tomorrow when they go in. Once your shift is over, I expect an update from you for how it went.”

Bakugo clenched his fist, not liking the idea of being babysat before he nodded. He didn’t need to give Aizawa any more reasons to be suspicious of his actions and if that meant that he would do a few more check ins than the other students? It would be worth it if Bakugo was able to bring Deku and Eri back. 

Bakugo would bring them both back. 

He had to. 

…  
…  
…

Sugawara Koshi was having a rough day. 

He had slept past his alarm and missed his first class and even though he made it on time for his second class, he had forgotten about the test that was happening and while he knew that he passed it . . . it was probably going to be a low score. Something that he did not need when he was trying to keep his scores high enough to qualify for what little scholarships he did have. 

He had been determined to turn the day around, make sure that the afternoon was perfect as he made his way to the nearby bookstore to check when his next shift would be when his phone started going off. 

Apparently Takeda-sensei’s nephew, someone Suga briefly remembered seeing at the training camp he had crashed with Kuroo and Kiyoko, had been kidnapped by Oikawa and now the team was hitting him up to please go find the missing teen. 

“Do you know how big Tokyo is?” Suga groaned as Hinata made a poor guess. “Why are you so worried? I’m sure Midoriya can handle himself.”

“It’s the GREAT KING! Suga-san, THE GREAT KING!” Hinata was overly excited and Suga had to start counting backwards as he walked down the sidewalk. “What if he steals him away and Aoba Johsai uses Izuku as a hostage for us to lose our next match? We need to get to nationals again!”

Suga glared at the phone before cursing Ennoshita, clearly the current Karasuno captain had been lending Hinata his favorite mafia films and now Hinata’s imagination was running away with it. “Shoyo, it’ll be okay. Just take a deep breath and remember that we’re in reality.” 

“Suga-san!” Hinata quieted down for a moment. “I’m really worried.”

And that was new. 

Hinata was always a bit more thoughtful than what people gave him credit for and it made Suga’s chest clench at the thought of how attached Hinata was to all his friends. The older teen let out a breath. “I’ll keep an eye out for him and let you know, but Hinata, you have to keep in mind that it’ll be unlikely that I run into them. Tokyo is huge! There is no way that-”

Suga paused as he started at the familiar form of Oikawa and Iwaizumi in the coffee shop that he was passing by. There was a third person with them and Suga found himself laughing as he figured it must be Midoriya. 

Of course he would find them. 

“Shoyo-kun.” Suga laughed. “I found them. I’ll grab Midoriya and make sure he makes it back to the train station so tell Tobio, yes I can hear him behind you, both of you just run some laps until Midoriya texts you. Okay?”

Suga really wanted to laugh as he hung up the phone and made his way over to the table. He smiled brightly as he made sure to catch Oikawa’s attention before placing both his hands on Iwaizumi’s shoulders as he smiled at the table. “A nice day, isn’t it?”

Iwaizumi seemed surprised before the other teen laughed. “That was fast.”

“Well if it isn’t Mr. Refreshing.” Oikawa glared at Suga’s hands before turning his attention on Suga’s face. Both setters knew exactly what Suga was doing and the light grey haired teen just smiled before turning his attention to Midoriya. 

“Midoriya-kun, do you remember me?” Suga moved so that his hip was leaning against Iwaizumi’s chair as he kept one hand on the wing spiker’s shoulder and the other hand pointed at himself. “We met at Nekomata high school. I’m Sugawara Koshi, but you can call me Suga. I’m here to pick you up.”

“Are you sure you’re trying to pick him up?” Oikawa’s voice was soft but Suga heard and the setter smirked at the brunette. 

There had been an incident when Suga and Iwaizumi had ended up at the same mixer their first week of college that had ended with both of them drinking a little too much and getting a little handsy in the bar’s bathroom. That would have been the end of it but they tended to run into each other on campus so it was only natural that Suga and Iwaizumi had become drinking partners, nothing more, but apparently Iwaizumi had told Oikawa about their drunken handjobs and Suga knew the other teen didn’t like how close they were. 

Suga had told Oikawa that there was nothing there, that Suga had been lonely and a little heartbroken from Daichi turning him down at their graduation. (Daichi had turned everyone down, including Michimiya.) And Iwaizumi and Oikawa had been in the process of breaking up that night, with Oikawa leaving for Argentina -- of course, Oikawa and Iwaizumi eventually realized they were willing to make long distance work and had gotten back together but Suga was still a threat in Oikawa’s eyes. 

Of course, that doesn’t even mention the incident where Suga and Oikawa had run into each other at the gym, proceeded to compete at every workout, before Iwaizumi had found them making out in the locker room closet. 

Suga paused at the thought. Had he started getting around in college? Was that something he should be worried about?

“Oh, did the team send you? I’m fine!” Midoriya laughed before he glanced at his phone. “Oh, but I should probably make my way back to the station.”

“I’ll walk with you.” Suga let go of Iwaizumi, watching how both former Aoba Johsai teammates were now making eyes at each other, which meant Suga’s plan had worked. Oikawa didn’t like it when anyone got too close to his Iwa-chan, but he really didn’t like it when it was another setter. Suga let Midoriya say his goodbyes before Suga reminded Iwaizumi to call him some time, particularly after Oikawa had left for Argentina. 

“There is nothing refreshing about you.” Oikawa smiled as he glared at Suga and the college freshmen leaned into Oikawa’s space for a moment with a soft smile. 

“Next time, don’t kidnap a bystander when you’re supposed to be on a date with your boyfriend before you leave the country.” Suga stepped back and pat Oikawa on the back. “I’ll watch your matches on television so don’t lose too often.”

“Why you-” Oikawa looked like he wanted to either kiss Suga or throttle him and Suga took that as his que to leave and dragged Midoriya with him. 

“I hope you don’t mind that I took you away.” Suga laughed as the green haired teen glanced over at him. 

“They seem nice.” Midoriya smiled before he looked up at the street signs. “I actually think I can find my way back from here if you need to get back to class. I appreciate you looking for me but I hope it wasn’t a hassle.”

“It’s fine.” Suga waved him off before looking at his watch. “But I should probably head back to campus. Are you sure you can find your way back home?”

Midoriya blinked before he gave Suga a small smile. It looked a little sad and it made Suga confused but the teen nodded. “Yeah, I can make it back home.”

…  
…  
…

“Do you think he’s really missing?” 

Toga’s voice echoed in the small room, a boarded up entrance to an old karaoke bar that had closed years ago and was now the current hideout for the LOV. She tapped on her phone as she tried to google more information about the missing hero Deku. 

“The doc says the nomu’s lifeline vanished as soon as it disappeared with the hero and the brat.” Mr. Compress stretched out his limbs. “I’m surprised you’ve been hanging around so often Toga, normally you would be out having fun by now.”

“I’m planning.” Toga shrugged with a grin. “Putting together something special for Hawks.”

“Did you find the bastard that killed Twice and Dabi?” Spinner came into the room with some bags of food and drink tray. He was wearing his civilian clothes and seemed like a completely different person as he put the stuff on the counter. “Early retirement was too good for him, that false hero.”

“Don’t worry, Shu-chan.” Toga smiled brightly. “I promise it’s a very special plan.”

Spinner huffed out a laugh before he pat Toga on the head, making the girl blush before the door to the side slammed home and the long haired form of their leader walked through. Shigaraki had healed and trained his body over the past year and it was clear that the young man was building his muscles. No longer the wiry body they had first bed but a lean muscled machine, or at least that is what Toga would say. 

“Have you found any news about Midoriya?” Shigaraki’s voice was rough before Spinner just shook his head. 

“I hate to say it, boss, but there is a chance the kid is dead, just like the nomu.” Spinner glanced over at Compress. “Have you heard anything from the other members?”

“Everyone is still searching.” Compress jumped from his seat and landed on the floor light before he shrugged. “We can’t find anything and that means we can’t confirm anything.”

Shigaraki tapped his fingers on the counter before he sighed. 

“We need to get to work.”

…  
…  
...

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to come with you? I don’t want to interrupt your time with your friends.” Deku laughed as Shoyo and Tobio sat across from him in the train. Both younger teens had been squabbling about who got the window seat but both refused to leave their spot as they were adamant that they should sit next to each other. 

“Kenma said it was fine.” Hinata smiled. “He feels bad that you wasted a trip to the city last week and is excited to get your stuff. It sounds like he was able to get all the photos off of it!”

“Yeah, I’ll show you photos of my friends when I get it.” Deku smiled. 

They were heading down to Tokyo half a day earlier than the rest of the team to crash at Kenma’s place (which was apparently Kuroo’s place) before meeting up with everyone at the Nekomata school the next morning. 

Kenma had been oddly quiet when Deku texted him but it seemed that Kenma had been staying in contact with Shoyo instead and the teen didn’t mind. They weren’t that close and he shouldn’t expect anything just because Kenma was doing him a favor. The train down to Tokyo was largely uneventful but it was great to get to talk to the odd duo about their futures. 

“Neither one of you are going to college?” Deku didn’t know if that was a normal thing in this world, but maybe it was?

“I plan to go pro when I graduate.” Tobio stated matter of factly, not bragging but just a pure understanding of his own skills. “I’ll most likely play for Japan next year in their under 18 league and I expect to have interest come from that.”

“I’m talking with coach Ukai about learning beach volleyball.” Shoyo smiled brightly as he leaned against Kageyama’s side, neither one seemed bothered by the fact that Shoyo was using the taller teen as a pillow. “I can’t make pro on my own, at least not yet, but I’ll make it and defeat Tiredyama on the world stage.”

“You wish.” Tobio grumbled but he was smirking and it made Deku smile. 

“I guess the education system is similar here.” Deku sighed as he sat back before Hinata started laughing. 

“You know, sometimes you sound like you’re from a different world.” Hinata pointed over at Deku who was now sitting tensely. “You say things like you’re not from Japan. It’s funny.”

Deku scratches the back of his head. “Sometimes I feel like the Japan I know and the Japan I’m in now are very different.”

“Oooh, like how we felt the first time we made it to Tokyo. The city is a different place than the country.” Hinata nodded as if he could understand what Deku felt at it made the teen smile. They changed the conversation to food and what kind of diets they should focus on when building muscles.

Once they made it to the city Kageyama only got them lost once, and that had been because Deku hadn’t been paying attention as he found himself getting lost in thought. Once they were able to right themselves they found themselves in the suburbs and making their way past houses and apartment complexes. 

“Oh! That’s a fancy car.” Hinata jumped in the air as they turned on the next street. There was a sleek black SUV parked to the side, something that took up more space than it needed to on the narrow roads but it clearly made an impression. There was a woman on the phone outside of it, her long gray hair went past her waist and she didn’t see them as they passed by, clearly too distracted by whoever she was talking to on the phone. 

“She’s pretty.” Hinata stage whispered before getting elbowed by Kageyama. “Hey! She is! That doesn’t make you any less pretty, okay.”

Deku laughed as Kageyama’s cheeks went pink and the setter hit Hinata in the side before both teens started to play fight each other. 

“Keep it down, this is a respectable neighborhood.” Kenma’s bored voice caught their attention as they glanced up to see the teen looking down at them from a third floor balcony. “How many times did you get lost?”

“Only once.” Hinata cheered and Deku smiled as Kenma rolled his eyes at them. 

There was a small thud and Deku glanced over to see the woman staring at him now. She had dropped her phone and was covering her mouth as she seemed surprised at the sight of him. She was beautiful, with her almost silver hair and red eyes, and Deku wondered how old she was. Clearly in her thirties but possibly older with the laugh lines around her eyes. 

He found himself turning to see if she was okay but suddenly she was in his arms and sobbing. This older woman who was about his height, he didn’t know what to do but as she trembled in his arms he found himself holding her tightly as he stared at his friends. 

“-ku.” The woman’s voice sobbed and Deku felt like his world was crashing around him. “It’s really you, Deku. I can’t believe it! Deku!”

He hadn’t heard his hero name in over four months. It had felt like an eternity but that wasn’t what was important at this moment as the woman continued to hold on to him. 

There was only one person this could be. 

“Eri?!”

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Sex between Takeda and Ukai  
> -Heavy make outs between Shoto and Tenya  
> -Implied but not explicit things between Shinso/Monoma, Iwa-chan/Suga, and Oikawa/Suga   
> -Emotions are kind of all over the place this chapter 
> 
> Either way! Hope you enjoy this story and feel free to leave a review!


	10. There's someone reaching back for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eri liked to think of her life in stages. It was something she would learn was a form of coping with the things that happened to her over the years but when she was young and scared, it made it easy for her to think that this was just one part of her life. 
> 
> There would be more parts. 
> 
> Hopefully happy parts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:   
> This chapter focuses on what happened to Eri! Note for actual life timeline: the internet was invented in the 60s but was not publicly available until 1993 so I took some liberties here for how life might have been for her in the 80s as . . . also, OC characters show up here but they don’t play a big role. I want to call out that they’re names come from me researching popular baby names in the year that I guessed they would be born in. 
> 
> Author’s Note:   
> Chapter 290 came out today and I can officially say we are separating from canon-ish. The facts are still there but how things happened will be wrong, which I kind of expected to happen, haha. But still, hope y’all are liking the new chapters. I certainly am. 
> 
> Also, I made a twitter so feel free to follow me @The_Art_Boss if you want updates on stories. It’ll mainly be me retweeting fanart that I find or maybe throwing out fan ideas but I thought it would be nice to have a space for my fanfics. 
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

Eri liked to think of her life in stages. It was something she would learn was a form of coping with the things that happened to her over the years but when she was young and scared, it made it easy for her to think that this was just one part of her life. 

There would be more parts. 

Hopefully happy parts. 

Her first, the ones that she barely remembered with her mom and her dad were happy. At least, she thinks they were happy until her quirk activated and her mom left her at her grandfather’s home. She had been young and scared and handed over to a man with a mask who would start acting as her guardian when her grandpa had been left in a hospital bed. 

Her time with Chisaki was dark. She couldn’t remember a day where she hadn’t been afraid or in pain. The years had blurred together until the moment where she had finally worked up the courage to run and found herself in the arms of a young hero she would learn was called Deku. 

It had been a brief reprieve before she had been back at Chisaki’s side, afraid of what the man would do to Deku and Lemillion, two strangers who had only wanted to help her. She had gone back to the darkness, had buried her head into her pillows and cried until he had fallen asleep. That night she had dreamed of hands that had held her gently but she had only woken up to the reality of her life and had known nothing would change. 

She had been wrong. 

Deku and Lemillion hadn’t abandoned her. They had come back for her, even at a high personal cost, they had come to save her. 

Then there had been doctors and nurses and strangers coming to talk to her. Mirio and Izuku would visit her, when they could, but the person that she was around the most was a quiet man with long black hair who tended to stand in the corner when he was around. 

Aizawa-san always knelt down when he spoke to her, to make sure they were eye to eye and he spoke gently but not in a way that made Eri think that there was something wrong with her. He spoke to her like she mattered and when Eri had been given a chance to be put in his care, in the care of a hero who could stop her quirk and make sure that she would never hurt anyone again, she took it. 

Then started a part of her life where she learned what happiness was. 

She had a home, and her own room. She had All Might and Midnight, and other teachers at the school who would visit and take her outside. She had Deku, who would visit and sometimes bring other friends. But above all else, she had Aizawa-san and Mirio. She didn’t remember her parents, not really, but she hoped that one day, if she was allowed to have parents again, that maybe they would be like Aizawa and Mirio. 

She hadn’t realized that she could actually get Aizawa and Mirio as her guardians until they sat her down and asked her. She had cried that day, but it had been happy tears. Tears of joy that had overflowed until Deku and Kacchan had shown up and then she had cried some more because she loved everyone so much. 

And it seemed like they loved her. 

They did love her. 

A weird, unconditional love that she had only read about in her books. She had asked Auntie Midnight about it once, about the types of love in the world and Midnight had wrapped both of them in a warm blanket and told her about all kinds of love people could have. Eri had asked questions but Midnight had never corrected her, had only answered them all sincerely until uncle Mic had come home and Eri had been sent back to her home with Aizawa and Mirio. 

She’d had her first birthday party with her new family. 

Had seen her first movie in a movie theater. 

She had learned how to make extra spicy curry with Kacchan, and had learned how to write things down like Deku. She tried her hand at learning how to play an instrument with Jiro, had tried dancing with Mina, and had learned self defense with Aizawa. 

She had even learned how to control her quirk with the help of Monoma, Aizawa, and Recovery Girl. 

She hadn’t realized those happy days were going to end, not when she had put on her favorite sundress to go meet with Deku and Kacchan after they finished their patrol. She had held Mirio and Aizawa’s hands tightly as they walked down the street. Enjoying how Mirio would point out fun things to her and how Aizawa’s grip had been a constant and solid support as she continued to see the world outside of the underground bunker she had been trapped in. 

She had wanted to see Kacchan that day because he was handsome, and he would always buy her a treat if she asked nicely. She had wanted to see Deku because he agreed with her on everything and she knew that the three of them could have some fun and maybe go see the paddle boats she had heard about in the park. 

But then the nomus appeared. 

Aizawa became Eraserhead and he tried to whisk her away but there had been so many of them. 

Eri doesn’t quite remember what happened that day, she remembered being in Eraserhead’s arms before she had been sent flying by an explosion. She had remembered him telling her to run as a blond girl stabbed him in the side and Eri had done what she could, she had run and run and run, until she had been scooped up by Deku. 

He had held her gently, even in the middle of a battle, but the adrenaline had been too much and Eri’s quirk had activated. She hadn’t meant to, she knew it was bad, but a nomu was grabbing her and dragging her into a portal while Deku was trying to get them away and Eri’s quirk activated even as she heard Kacchan scream but it was too late and then she had been falling. 

She had felt a hand grab her leg and had screamed as she fell into the ocean, only the hand let go as soon as they hit the water but it didn’t matter because she didn’t know how to swim and she was only going deeper and deeper under the water. She still doesn’t know how it happened but she woke up coughing and spitting up water as a group of people surrounded her on the beach. 

She can feel the sand beneath her and she cried because she was so scared. 

She doesn’t know these people, she’s afraid of hurting them with her quirk but they don’t listen as she tells them to stay back. She cries and asks for her fathers but the strangers don’t seem to understand. She cries as she begs for a hero but everyone just wraps her in towels as they wait for an ambulance to come take her away. 

There is screaming further down the beach about a monstrous dead body that has washed up to shore and Eri knows it’s the nomu. She hears about how it doesn’t move and she asks about Deku, tells them about Deku who had been with her and finally people start taking her seriously as they go back to search the water for a possible missing boy. 

They don’t find Deku.

Eri cries and screams until her voice is hoarse but still she gets dragged away by strangers who are trying to keep her calm. Deku had to be there, he had to, because if he wasn’t then she was alone and the thought makes her curl in a ball as she cries the entire way to the hospital. 

She’s scared and Mirio told her it was okay to cry when she’s scared so she cries. Everyone tells her that she’s okay and they ask her about her family but they don’t seem to understand how she can have two dads. When no one reacts as she gives them her family’s names she finally asks for Uncle All Might . . . only . . . only no one has ever heard of him. 

“Hysterics-” She hears a strange man say outside her door at the hospital as the doctors talk to the cops. A nurse talks about ‘trauma’ and when one of the cops comes in he brings her a warm drink but doesn’t ask her any questions. She waits, she was always told to let the cops do their jobs but it becomes clear that no one is going to ask her any more questions because they don’t believe her. 

They won’t even try to believe her. 

She doesn’t understand how she can be in a place that doesn’t have heroes. Can’t fathom a world that doesn’t know who All Might is, she had seen Deku’s room and she knew that everyone should know All Might. Deku said he had been the most important hero to have ever existed. 

But what if heroes didn’t exist here?

What if her quirk erased heroes like they erased her father? 

No. 

Eri remembers how Monoma explained her quirk to her. He had been focusing his studies on the specificity of quirks to help him with his own and he had told her that it could only activate around a certain distance. She could rewind things, she could rewind living things, and her quirk could be very dangerous but she never felt like she was something dangerous when Monoma would show her how to do a magic trick. When he would steal Kacchan’s quirk to blast Deku from behind and try to get her to join him in playing pranks on the teens. 

Her quirk couldn’t have done this. 

Eri spends two days in the hospital before she makes her escape. She remembers what Aizawa taught her about how to move around places without being seen, and she manages to steal some clothes that are too big from a different hospital room that had another kid in it. The kid was asleep and Eri wrote him a note to apologize but she steals the clothes in his dresser and a pair of his shoes and leaves the hospital as soon as it's nightfall. 

She doesn’t recognize anything. 

She remembers how Mirio told her to be brave and to always smile, even when she’s not sure because people will believe what they see and right now she needs to look like she belongs and not like she’s lost. She spends her first night in a strange new city, sleeping wedged between two walls where she was sure no one would find her. 

The next day isn’t better. 

She’s hungry and tired and she needs to find some food and water. The further she walks away from the hospital and the crowded streets the more she feels like she must have done something wrong. Maybe this was punishment for trying to be happy after she made her dad disappear? Maybe Chisaki was right and she was a bad kid, and she shouldn’t have tried to make a family with good people like Mirio and Aizawa. 

On her second night on her own she had hidden inside a giant cement tube on a construction site to get out of the rain. She was cold, tired, hungry, thirsty, and she missed her family. If she was home then Aizawa would be braiding her hair for her to make sure it didn’t get tangled when she slept and the thought made her chest hurt. 

_You can call me Shota, Eri. We’re going to take care of each other from now on okay?_

But she couldn’t take care of him now, no one seemed to know who Eraserhead was in this city. Or any of the other heroes. 

She was in Japan but it wasn’t her Japan. 

She didn’t remember falling asleep but when she woke up she was on something soft and surrounded by a warm blanket. Eri had sat up immediately thinking maybe it had all been a bad dream despite how her feet and stomach ached but instead she found herself in a small office, curled up on a small couch. She had really cried then, burying her face in the blankets as she tried to muffle the sounds as she screamed out her confusion. 

Why was this happening?

Where were they?

Why hadn’t anyone found her yet?

Were they even looking?

“Oh, you’re awake!” Eri glanced up through her tears to see an older round man open the door to the small office. She could see the construction site behind him and he held up his hands at her expression. “Oh, oh, don’t cry! My boys found you this morning when we did a safety check and I moved you here. You looked cold so I hope you don’t mind the blanket and, uh, I brought food!” 

The man stumbled over his words as he put a bottle of water and a bag of something that smelled sweet on the small table between him and Eri and then he took a step back, clearly giving her space. The man pulled up a chair and sat down with a groan, rubbing his knees as he motioned to the food and Eri. “Go on, I’m sure you’re hungry.”

And she was. 

She was so hungry. 

Eri kept her eyes on the man as she grabbed the bag and opened it to find pastries. They were warm and clearly fresh and her eyes lit up as she saw some with apple slices baked in. She briefly thought of how Mirio had told her not to take food from strangers but her stomach clenched at the idea of giving up the food so she took one pastry out of the bag and bit in. 

She would just eat one. 

Only one. 

“My name is Sudou Izumi. You can call me Sudou-san, if you want.” The man’s hair was thinning as he rubbed the top of his skull before he sighed. He didn’t seem to care that Eri was already eating her second pastry so she continued. 

Two shouldn’t hurt. 

“Did you run away from home, miss?” Sudou seemed confused when she shook her head. “No? Then how did you get here? You’re about the age of my son and I can’t imagine him on his own like you were. Did you get lost? Are you from here?”

Eri paused, halfway through a muffin now before she put the bag and the bitten muffin on the table. He seemed like he wanted to talk to her, maybe he could help. _Trust your gut with strangers. You’ve seen the worst of them and the best of them so you have an idea of what to look for._ Kacchan’s voice was firm in her head and she eyed the older man in front of her. Honestly, he seemed more worried about the situation than she felt now that she had food, water, and was warm again. 

Maybe . . . 

Maybe he could help?

“I’m Aizawa Eri.” Eri couldn’t help the warmth that filled her when she said her name, it happened every time she said it and she held onto the happy feeling so that she could keep going. She remembered what Deku had told her in case she had ever gotten lost in the city and she straightened up as she eyed the man. “Can you take me to the Endeavor Agency? They know how to reach my family.”

The man’s brow furrowed at her request and she already knew what he was going to say. 

“Aizawa-chan, I’m afraid I don’t know the Endeavor Agency. Do you have their number? Maybe I can call them to pick you up?” He seemed like he genuinely wanted to help her but it didn’t matter. 

If Eraserhead didn’t exist here, or All Might, or even someone as grand as Endeavor . . . then that meant heroes didn’t exist here. 

She was on her own. 

No one would save her. 

She wished Deku was here, he was the smartest person in the whole world and he would know what to do. She curled herself further into the blanket as tears fell down her cheeks and she tried to think of what to do next but she didn’t know. 

“Aizawa-chan, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” Sudou wrung his hands together. “I can call my wife, if you would prefer to talk to a woman . . . oh, I should have done that to start with. She’s going to yell at me later. Or I could call over the local officer, he’s a real nice young man and he can-”

“I just want to go home.” Eri sniffed. 

“Tell me where you live and I’ll take you there.” The man smiled, clearly trying to cheer her up. “Even if it’s all the way in Nagasaki, I’ll get you there.”

More tears fell down her cheeks as she tried to hold it in. “What if it’s farther than that?”

Eri told him everything she could remember for how she got there. She showed him her horn, which was now the smallest she had ever seen it, and when she finally got her tears under control she told him about her family and her heroes. 

Sudou listened, even though she knew he couldn’t possibly believe her, he sat there and listened. He asked questions about her family, about Aizawa and Mirio, and he told her they sounded like excellent guardians. She told him about Deku, about how she was worried that he must have been hurt because he wasn’t with her. 

He should have been with her. 

Eri’s voice was hoarse by the time Sudou’s wife showed up, and the short older woman cooed over Eri as soon as she saw her. The woman wanted Eri to call her Auntie Keiko and she had yelled at her husband for not calling her sooner. Eri had been so tired by the time the woman showed up that she didn’t put up a fight when the woman lifted her off the couch and took her back to the Sudou house. 

Eri woke up the next morning in a large western style bed wrapped up in blankets and wearing a nightgown that must have belonged to Auntie Keiko for as large as it was on her. Her feet had been bandaged from the blisters she had gotten while she had been walking around the city but Eri still made her way out of the room and bumped into a boy about her size who seemed just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. 

The Sudou’s had one child named Daisuke who was the same age as Eri. He was a quiet but happy kid and made sure to give Eri space when she walked around the home. 

“My husband told me your story.” Keiko combed through Eri’s long hair as the woman sat in her chair and Eri sat on the floor. She had been with the Sudou’s for a few days, having promised to not leave until they could find a way to help her. “It sounds like you are far from home.”

“You don’t believe me.” Eri didn’t ask but turned her head to look at the woman. Keiko seemed to be surprised by Eri’s forwardness before the woman just shrugged. 

“I think you are a little girl who is lost and needs help, I don’t need to know more than that.” Keiko tied off Eri’s hair before the older woman got up and put her hands on her hips. “I’m glad Daisuke’s clothes fit you but we should probably take you shopping soon.”

Eri ends up spending a week with the Sudou’s before they sit her down at their kitchen table and tell her that they are going to take her to the police the next day. She doesn’t understand at first but Sudou-san explains it. “I’ve been searching for the names you have me and even had a few friends help out but at the end of the day, nothing is coming up. I’m sure your family is looking for you and they will have gone to the police. We’ll take you there tomorrow and file a report and figure out what needs to be done.”

“But what if my family isn’t here?” Eri asks the questions she’s been dreading all week. As she discovered just how truly different her world and this world were. They didn’t have smartphones, they didn’t even have a computer at home, and Eri had had a tough time explaining the internet to the family. 

Keiko’s hand grab’s Eri’s. “If this world isn’t your world, and if we can’t find your family, then we still have to report you to the police and get you in the system. Right now, what we’ve been doing, is as good as kidnapping.”

“You’re helping me.” Eri didn’t want to be on her own again.

“Eri . . .” Keiko’s hand tightened to get her attention. “If . . . if we can’t find your family, and I honestly hope we can, but if we can’t would you be okay with joining our family?”

“Your family?” Eri blinked at the adults before looking at Daisuke. His cheeks blushed at her scrutiny but he nodded to show that he was okay with it. “Then why can’t I just stay now?”

“We need to make sure you’re in the system.” Sudou-san rubbed his thinning hair. “That’s why we need to take you to the authorities. If they can’t help you’ll be moved to a home for children and once you’re in the system, we would be able to legally adopt you so that we would have the paperwork to enroll you in school.”

“School?” Eri felt like this was too much. 

She hadn’t ever been allowed to go to school. Not even with Aizawa-san but that was because her quirk was still dangerous. 

But . . .

Her quirk didn’t seem to work in this world. She had tried to use it multiple times to prove her story to her hosts but nothing had worked. There had one moment, where she had thought it might work but instead of rewinding a flower she had gotten a high fever. 

School. 

In this world, she was a normal kid. 

In this world, she could be a normal kid. 

Eri ends up spending the next three months being sent from home to home before she finds herself at an orphanage. She gets fevers frequently, at first, and gets a reputation for being a sickly child but eventually the fevers stop. She makes sure to call the Sudou’s every day and they keep her updated on what they are up to while she finds herself surrounded by more and more strangers. 

She had spent her nights writing in her notebook everything she had wished she had told her family and friends before she had disappeared. She told them how she was doing how much she missed them. Some days she would wake up and feel like it had all been a weird dream until her eyes focused on the room she shared with three other girls and Eri found herself back in reality.

She was alone. 

Truly alone. 

Another three months pass and Eri finds herself officially adopted into the Sudou family. She had been able to keep Aizawa as her last name but she was officially added onto the family registry and suddenly Eri had a new home. 

And maybe . . . she wasn’t as alone as she thought she was. 

Sudou-san works a lot at his job as a safety inspector for construction sites. He’s nothing like Aizawa, where her hero was quiet power- Sudou-san was boisterous and maybe too light hearted. Eri liked him because he always seemed to light up the room with his bad jokes but the thing she liked most about him was how much he loved his wife, Keiko. 

He would stare at her the same way that Eri had caught Mirio staring at Aizawa sometimes and it made the girl’s heart ache for her old parents even as she slowly fell in love with her new ones. 

Auntie Keiko, which she was still okay with being called, was a full-time housewife and truly ran the home. She was neat and orderly and seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. She actually reminded Eri a lot of Ochaco. 

They were so nice and understanding. They encouraged Eri to talk about her original home and her family she had before them. They didn’t seem to mind that Eri would sometimes tear up if something reminded her of the life she once had, but instead they made sure that Eri always felt comfortable in their warm home even when they made sure Eri knew not to talk about heroes outside of the house. 

They might understand, but they made sure Eri knew that the rest of the world might not. 

Daisuke ends up becoming Eri’s best friend. He helps her study so that she can test into his school and they end up in the same class. Daisuke thinks she’s amazing and always wants to hear another story about her hero family whenever he has a chance. At school he makes sure to check in on her and introduce her to his friends, who are just as nice as he is. 

Eri adjusts. 

A year turns into two and she still misses her family and friends but she finds herself thinking about them less. It’s hard to be stuck in the past when she has school and a future to focus on. 

She’s building something new and she hopes they don’t mind. 

Her horn never grows bigger than her pinky nail again and her hair mostly hides it. By the time she’s in highschool, she has friends who encourage her to get it removed but when Daisuke tells her to keep it she drops the subject at home. Daisuke says it’s proof that she’s special, proof of where she comes from, and Eri likes that. 

She likes to think that she’s carrying her friends and family with her always, even if they aren’t on her mind as much anymore. 

Eri tried to tell a friend once, her story. It had been near the end of her last year in high school and she had wanted to be honest with her friend Sakura who had been her friend for all three years. Sakura had laughed Eri off before she could even finish, telling Eri that she was bad at pranks and to give it a rest. Daisuke had held her hand that night as they laid on the ground in their backyard and stared at the stars together. 

“I believe you.” He squeezed her fingers as his eyes moved across the stars, as if trying to memorize them.

“I never realized how lucky I was that your parents didn’t lock me away in some institution.” Eri sighed. “Your family is too kind.”

“Our family is too kind.” Daisuke had smiled at her then. “I like to think we just don’t sweat the small stuff or maybe it was easy to believe you because you weren’t like any other kid I had ever met. All I know is that after hearing about your old home, all I wanted to do was be a hero for you here, in this world. Maybe my parents felt the same.”

Eri tears up then but then Daisuke pokes her in the stomach and ruins the moment by asking her if she had gained weight. She grabs his soft sides and points out that he’s the one that takes after his parents and then she has to run around the yard to avoid getting hit by him in his embarrassment. 

She gets into college and is majoring in biology and science. She might be moving forward with her life but she still wants to find a way to explain what happened to her and she thinks she might find it there. Daisuke goes to a different school, much to his heartbreak, and focuses on a major in agriculture so that he can start his own farm one day. 

The Sudou’s retire out to the country while their kids are in college and Eri knows that it’s just her parents hoping to buy the land for Daisuke’s farm early so that he has something to take over when he’s done with school. They offer to buy her an apartment in the city near her school but she turns it down as she sets her eyes on her studies. 

In college she bumps into a foreign exchange student from Russia who is tall, blond, and has a bit of an attitude that reminds Eri of someone from her childhood. He’s immature but when he sees her, his face goes red and suddenly he’s shy and it makes Eri’s heart skip a beat. 

He’s nothing like Aizawa, Mirio, Deku, or Kacchan, but she falls in love with him anyway. 

Luka Haiba extends his stay in Japan to finish his international business degree and Eri tells him her life story on their first date over a cup of tea. She hasn’t dated much, never really saw the point in it, but she wants things to work with Luka and the only way that can happen is if they are completely honest from the start. He stares at her as if he’s unsure what to do while he tea goes cold but by the time she’s done he just laughs and pulls her into a kiss. 

“I’m going to marry you!” Luka kisses her again and Eri thinks that Mirio would have liked him. 

When she introduces Luka to her family they all just start at the handsome tall foreigner before Daisuke gives Eri a thumbs up that has her blushing and Sudou-san drags Luka into the house ready to start drinking. Keiko laughs as she pulls Eri into a hug and Eri loves this family. 

Loves them with all of her heart. 

She graduates at the top of her class and gets job offers from all over the world but she already knows that she’s going to go to Russia. Luka stayed with her in Japan for college and now that they are both done she wants to learn about his home. 

They get married in the spring under sakura blossoms. 

It’s perfect. 

She works, she studies, and she comes home to a man that loves her with every inch of his soul. She can’t honestly remember a time where she was this happy, except for maybe the day that Aizawa and Mirio asked if they could be her dads, but it was so long ago that even those memories feel more like dreams. 

Alisa is born in April and Eri is suddenly a mother. 

She can’t fathom the idea of being a mother and is always worried that she’s doing it wrong. Luka’s mother laughs at her doubts constantly before reassuring Eri that the child will be fine and will even tease Eri about calling Auntie Keiko at weird hours just to ask for parenting advice but Eri doesn’t remember her mother and for some reason that thought makes her wonder if she can be good at it or not. 

“You’re perfect.” Luka whispers against her forehead, kissing her small bump, before he strokes her hair out of her face. “Just love her like how your family has loved you and you’ll be fine.”

Lev is born in October and Eri suddenly has a son. 

She misses her dads that day, something about holding his small form in her arms makes her wonder if Aizawa and Mirio are doing okay. Sudou-san and Keiko are out in the hall, having flown to Russia to help her take care of Alisa near the end of her pregnancy but Eri can only think about the dads she only knew for a year. 

She can’t fathom moving on with her life if she lost either of her kids but she hopes that Aizawa and Mirio did find a way to move on. She prays that they moved on. She’s so happy now that she can’t bear the thought of someone still mourning her. 

As her kids get older she tells them about her childhood surrounded by superheroes. She tells them about the amazing exploits of Eraserhead, LeMillion, Deku, and Ground Zero. Eri even makes Lev his own hero costume one year after he finds out that heroes don’t exist in this world, at least not heroes like Eri’s. Still, her kids love the stories and even Luka encourages her to write them down one day for a book. Eri just shakes her head, she loves talking about her family but she doesn’t think she could do them justice in a book. Instead, her kids will get all her stories. 

“I want to be Deku when I grow up. He’s clearly the coolest.” Lev slurs his words a bit around his missing baby teeth and Eri laughs as she holds her son close. 

“I would rather be like Midnight. She sounds so cool and pretty.” Alisa states with an air of haughtiness that only an older sibling can have and Eri feels a little embarrassed that she had kept the R-Rated hero a G-rated hero when she had told her kids about her. 

“You both don’t have to be anyone but yourselves.” Eri kisses both of her kids on the head. “You are already my little heroes.” 

The smiles that Alisa and Lev give her are priceless and Eri tries to take a picture but by the time she finds the camera her kids are already squabbling about who gets to choose what to watch on the televisions. 

Eri decides to take a photo anyway. 

A decade later Luka gets a job offer in Japan and it’s a quick decision to move to Tokyo. Luka’s parents are young but the Sudou’s are getting up there. Sudou-san was hospitalized a week ago and Eri knows it’ll only be a matter of time before they pass and she wants her kids to have more time with their grandparents. 

Her kids adapt well to school in Japan and it’s not long before Eri has her hands full with two teenagers on top of her research job. Luka helps out where he can but both teens choose to be rebellious at the same time and neither of them want to go to their dad for advice so Eri finds herself as the favorite parent much to Luka’s heartbreak. 

Then Lev brings home a volleyball one day and tells his mom that he’s going to be the school’s ace. 

She’s not sure if that’s how volleyball works but she encourages him anyway. Even Alisa gets into it and is happy to support her little brother when she’s not going to her college classes. Luka actually tries to learn volleyball with Lev so that they can play together but ends up breaking his arm when he falls wrong and Eri has to ban him from trying to be cool with their kids. 

Lev’s team makes it to the big tournament in Tokyo and Eri sneaks into the stands even though Lev had made her promise not to. She hides away from the Nekomata crowd and watches in awe as her son takes over the court. 

She’s so proud. 

So incredibly proud. 

She watches as her son loses to Karasuno, a team that she’s heard a lot about, and she’s impressed with the game even if she still doesn’t really know the rules. She sneaks out of the stadium before anyone can find her and gets home to start baking Lev’s favorite desserts even as Alisa texts her to tell her that Lev’s team lost. 

The seasons keep changing. 

She’s so immersed in her life that when Lev calls her and asks her about her old life, asks her about the heroes she would tell him about as a child, she’s honestly confused for a second. Sometimes that life seems like a hallucination but her heart aches as she remembers the people who taught her how to smile and she tells Lev about Deku. Lev is quiet but he tells her that he’s heading home which surprises her as he usually crashes with a friend over the weekends but she’s happy to have him home. 

She’s not ready for his visit though. 

“Is this you?” Lev looks pale as he holds up his phone with a picture of Eri from when she was seven years old. She’s wearing a pink dress that Deku had gotten her and is smiling brightly at the camera. 

“Where . . .” The world seems fuzzy as Eri stares at the photo. “Where did you get this?”

Lev bites his lip before he pulls her over so that she’ll sit down. He towers over her, like his father, and has to kneel so that they look each other in the eye and Eri still doesn’t know what is going on. She just grabs her son’s hands and stares at him. “Lev, where did you get this?”

“Do you know Midoriya Izuku?” Lev is keeping his voice light, clearly trying not to stress her out as her eyes fill with tears. 

Of course she knows him, she would never forget Deku. 

Never. 

“He’s Deku.” Eri wipes her face, feeling silly for crying over a memory. “Lev, that doesn’t answer my question. How did you-”

“I met him.” Lev holds on to her hands firmly. “He’s a kid, like me, but I met him. Mom, he’s here. He’s in this Japan.”

She doesn’t believe him. 

She can’t, even though she wants to with all of her heart but it doesn’t make sense to her. Lev wants her to meet Deku with him when the teen comes back to the city and Eri needs time to wrap her head around this. Luka comes home to her in a mix of joy and uncontrollable sobbing and her husband holds her as she finally lets herself hope. 

Deku. 

Deku was here. 

“You should meet him.” Lev’s head is in her lap and she strokes her son's hair. “I think he’s been looking for you but I’m not sure. It sounds like he’s only been here for a few months.”

It didn’t make sense but Eri wasn’t going to question it. She agreed to meet Deku and let Lev work out the details as she put in for some time off at work. Alisa came home during the week and her daughter distracted her from her anxiety by taking Eri hiking. It works because Eri is so exhausted by the end of the trip that she can’t stress about meeting someone who was from her world, from her Japan, and she ends up sleeping peacefully. 

Of course, seeing Deku for the first time isn’t what she imagined. 

He looks the same. 

His hair is a little longer, he’s pulling the top half back into a small ponytail but otherwise he looks the same as he talked to two kids from Karasuno. Eri is on the phone with Luka who wanted to be there with her but had to go with Alisa to finalize her modeling contract. 

Eri doesn’t even remember running over to him but suddenly she is hugging Deku as she cries against his chest. 

“Deku, Deku, Deku.” It seems to be all that she can say as she holds on to him tightly and when he hugs her back she can’t stop the tears. 

It feels like she’s finally come home. 

…  
…  
…

Deku holds on to the older woman and refuses to let go. He knows they are making a scene as tears roll down his cheeks and Eri sobs into his chest but he can’t let go. 

Eri. 

Eri found him. 

“Mom, we need to go inside.” Lev, the tall player from Nekomata, is pulling Eri away and Deku pulls her back to him, wild eyed as he stares at the teen. Deku won’t let them take Eri, he can’t lose her again after all this time. Lev seems unsure of what to do before the teen grabs both Deku and Eri’s shoulders and starts pushing them towards the apartment complex. 

There’s an elevator and it’s the only way they make it up to Kuroo’s apartment as Deku officially picks Eri up off her feet, like he used to when she was so much smaller than him, and carries her into the apartment. He finds a seat in the corner of the room, trying to find some privacy as Hinata, Lev, Kageyama, Kuroo, and Kenma all stare at them as if unsure of what to do. Deku ignores them for now as he wipes Eri’s tears with his thumbs and moves the hair out of her face to look at her. 

Eri. 

It really was Eri. 

“I thought I lost you.” Deku’s voice cracks. “You’ve grown so much but you’re still Eri-chan.”

“You look exactly the same.” Eri sniffs as she touches the scars on his arms. “Deku-nii-chan, you need a haircut.”

Deku laughs then, it sounds like something his mother would say and it really clicks then as he glances up at the tallest teen in the room. Eri sounds like his mom because she is a mom. 

Eri’s a mom. 

“I’ve been looking for you for months.” Deku holds her tightly. “I was looking and looking and only found some articles from decades ago but you’re here. You found me. How did you find me?”

“Lev.” Eri wipes her face again. “My son showed me a picture and told me that he met you. I still can’t believe you’re here after all these years. Why are you here? Why weren’t you with me?”

“I don’t know.” Deku admits as he also wipes his face and both Deku and Eri jump when Kenma comes over with a towel for both of them. They laugh as they each take their towel and Deku sucks in a breath even as he feels like his world is crashing together. “I thought I still had you when the nomu grabbed us but when I landed here, it was just me. It’s only been about five months since that battle for me.”

“It’s been over thirty years for me.” Eri chokes out. 

“Um.” Deku glances up to see Hinata glancing around at everyone. “What is going on?”

“My mom is from another world and Midoriya is also from there.” Lev states matter-of-factly, as if that explanation should be enough and all that happens is both Hinata and Kageyama stare wide-eyed and Deku and Eri. 

“Aliens?” Hinata’s voice is hilarious and it makes Deku laugh. 

He grabs Eri’s hand, refusing to not be holding her in some way before he smiles at his friends. “We’re human, just like you, but we’re not from here. Maybe I can explain a bit.”

“That would be nice.” Kuroo’s voice drawls out as the older teen comes out of the kitchen with some sports drinks to hand to Eri and Deku. “These are to keep you hydrated.”

So they talk. 

At first it’s Deku telling Eri about the day they both went missing, about the nomu and about them both being pulled into the portal. He chokes up a bit as he realizes he must have let her go at some point but she hugs him and strokes his hair as she tells him about her life after she managed to leave the beach. She tells him about the Sudous, and about Luka, and her children. 

“I’m glad we finally got to me, I’m clearly the most important part of this story.” Lev laughs before he flinches when Kenma kicks him. 

Then Deku tells her about landing in the ocean and about Takeda-sensei saving him. 

“Takeda-sensei saved you!” Hinata shouts in surprise before he’s quickly silenced by Kageyama and Kenma. Then Deku talks about Tanaka, and coach Ukai, and an incredibly talented volleyball team. He tells her about Asahi-san who helped him find out that she had been here, and then they catch up to where they are now. 

Kenma comes over and he hands Deku an ipad when Deku mentions handing his phone over to the teen. “I put all your photos and videos on here. I told you that your phone was destroyed but if you still want it then I have it packed away.”

“Why aren’t you asking them more questions?” Hinata was honestly vibrating at this point. “Why is everyone so calm?!”

“They already told us their story, moron.” Kageyama sounded bored and Deku laughed as Hinata hit the setter. 

“You just don’t care because it has nothing to do with volleyball!” Hinata shoved Kageyama’s head and the two continued to fight as Deku turned on the ipad and found himself staring at hundreds of photos. He glances up at the room and sees that for the most part, everyone is still keeping an eye on him and Eri and he smiles. 

“I’ll answer your questions the best I can, so feel free to ask.” Eri squeezes his hand and Deku puts the ipad between them so they can look at photos together. 

…  
…  
…

_”Aizawa-san!” Eri jumped on the older man’s lap and caused him to let out a pained breath. “Deku-nii-chan is making a movie of us, see! See!”_

_Aizawa glared at the camera, but it was mostly for show as he lifted Eri up so that she was next to him on the couch. The older man’s expression softened as Eri turned to the camera and waved excitedly. “I told you to call me Shota.”_

_“Eri, remember what I told you about jumping on Shota.” Mirio’s voice was off the screen but then the camera moved to reveal the young blond. He smiled for the camera before he made his way over the the couch and sat on the other side so that Eri was between him and Aizawa. “Remember, he has old man bones.”_

_“Oooh.” Eri’s eyes went wide even as Aizawa glared at Mirio. She turned to Aizawa and gave the older man a hug. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your old man bones.”_

_“Old man bones my ass.” Aizawa hugged Eri back before he moved her so that she was back on her feet and then the older man hit Mirio in the back of the head._

_“Deku-nii, we don’t want to record them kissing.” Eri’s cheeks were pink and even as the camera moved, it was too late because Mirio had already dragged Aizawa into his lap and the older man was kissing the blond here. Eri let out a giggle, clearly embarrassed but proud of her guardians, and then reached out to grab a scarred hand and started to drag camera-man, and camera, to another room in the apartment. “Let’s check in on Kacchan.”_

_“Don’t come in this kitchen.” A threatening voice called out but Eri and the camera didn’t stop until they recorded Kacchan in the frilly apron that Mirio liked to bake in. Kacchan growled at them but it was clear that there was no heat in it as he handed Eri a spoon that had sauce on it. “What do you think?”_

_Eri tasted the sauce and smiled brightly. “It’s perfect!”_

_“Damn right it is.” Kacchan was clearly proud and he ruffled Eri’s hair before the blond growled at the camera. “Shitty Deku, why aren’t you recording yourself in this video. You were the one that said you were making a movie of Eri’s family, that includes you, damn nerd.”_

_Kacchan reached towards the camera and Deku yelped on the other side before there was a scuffle and the camera moved too wildly to really see anything until it finally was turned around. Kacchan was holding the camera out but pointing it at himself and Deku as he held the nerd close. Kacchan was grinning at the camera in victory while Deku glanced at Kacchan with a soft look on his face._

_“Now we’re all in it!” Eri laughed before there was a crash._

Deku felt his face heat up as the video came to an end. He couldn’t believe he had been so obvious about how he had felt about Kacchan, hadn’t even realized there had truly been feelings there but now he stared at the evidence of his own blushing face as Bakugo held him closely. 

And now, Deku would probably never get to tell Kacchan how he felt. 

The teen turned over to Eri, the older woman was sleeping against his shoulder, and then Deku glanced at the rest of the room to see that everyone else had fallen asleep already as well. Kuroo had carried Kenma off to the bedroom after the teen had fallen asleep while Deku had been answering questions. Lev was sleeping on the other side of the couch with his head in his mother’s lap and his long legs dangling over the edge. Kageyama was face first on the ground but seemed to be out like a light even with Hinata’s leg sprawled across his back as the tiny decoy slept on his back. 

Deku was exhausted but he didn’t want to sleep, not yet. 

He scrolled to the next video and hit play and found himself sucking in a breath of the sight of himself in the hospital. 

_“Hey mom.” Deku was beaten and bruised, almost his entire body was covered in bandages and it looked like he was in pain. “I probably won’t send this to you but I’m recording it anyway. I’m sure I scared you, I scared myself out there but we’re all alive. We made it - uh -”_

_Deku wiped his face, clearly trying to say something before the teen smiled softly at the camera. “Kacchan saved me, mom. He saved me and now he’s in surgery and - gh -”_

Deku remembered this moment. All Might had come in his room to tell him that Bakugo was in critical condition and that symbol of peace was going to wait outside of the operation room. Deku had been waiting for All Might’s text to say how it had gone before the teen had tried to distract himself by sending his mom a message. 

_”Mom, what if Kacchan doesn’t . . .” The Deku on the screen started to cry, unable to hide his anguish. “Mom, it’s Kacchan . . . it’s Kacchan!”_

_There was a noise off screen and Deku wiped his face quickly as he reached over to his phone and the video ended._

Deku blinked as a drop of water hit the tablet screen and he quickly touched his face to confirm he was crying. He tried not to move too much, as he didn’t want to wake Eri but it was hard to wipe his face as the tears wouldn’t stop. He let the tablet fall on his lap and leaned his face back as he covered his eyes. 

He had been so stupid. 

All these years and Kacchan had been right there. 

He took a deep breath as he reminded himself that Kacchan was probably fine. Deku didn’t know how long he had been missing back home, maybe time was messed up like he had been for Deku and Eri and there was a chance he had been gone for years, maybe even decades. Kacchan would have looked for Deku, this the teen knew, but then Kacchan would have moved on. 

Ground Zero would be the number hero and Kacchan wouldn’t have given that up for anything. 

Or anyone. 

Deku needed to move on, like Eri had. He needed to move forward with his new life in this world and he needed to figure out what his new goal would be. Without heroes and quirks Deku wasn’t sure what he was good for. 

He wondered if Ukai would let him continue working at the shop. 

“You should get some sleep, Deku-nii.” Eri’s voice was soft and it made Deku smile as he turned to the older woman. She was still like the little girl he had known all those years ago. “I can move if-”

“No, no.” Deku placed her head back on his shoulder and set back as he closed his eyes. “There are some people I want you to meet tomorrow. They know about me and that I’ve been looking for you and I want to show them that you’re real.”

“I look forward to meeting them.” Eri sighed before her breathing evened out and Deku just smiled as he kept his eyes closed and finally let sleep overtake him. 

...  
…  
…

Saeko was surprised when Izuku pulled her and her brother away from the gym to go out to the back of the school. Nishinoya, Take-chan, and coach Ukai were with them as well and they all seemed to be confused at how nervous Izuku was. 

Did something happen?

“So, you know, how - uh - I’ve been looking for Eri?” Izuku rubbed his arm and Saeko felt her eyes widened as Izuku motioned to an older woman who was standing outside with two Nekomata players, Lev and Kenma. “She found me.”

“What?” Saeko stared at the woman and then blinked at Izuku. “What?”

Take-chan just stared at them both before suddenly the woman was grabbing Take-chan’s hand and smiling. “You’re Takeda-sensei! Deku-nii told me that you saved him!”

Deku-nii?

“What?” Saeko repeated.

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Eri's canon trauma 
> 
> Hope everyone is having a great week! Reviews are always welcome!


	11. Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Bakugo . . .” Iida started, his voice somehow both firm and confused. “Are you coming to the Endeavor Agency today?”
> 
> “What gave you that idea?” Bakugo smirked with a growl as he opened the front door to Endeavor’s Agency. He didn’t hold it for his classmates and just stomped in as both Iida and Tokoyami sighed behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:   
> I don't think I have anything to say about this chapter aside to call out that as each chapter in the BNHA manga updates, my story gets further from canon . . . yet, also closer? Either way, I'm loving this arc. Nothing you really need to know for this chapter, just that it took some time to write but I think we're finally in the thick of it so it's nice to keep the story moving. 
> 
> Author’s Note:   
> If you're all caught up on where the recent manga is and want to talk to me about fan theories, hit me up on twitter! @The_Art_Boss -- seriously, I'm really excited where the story is going. 
> 
> Also, thank you for the reviews last chapter. I'm responding to everyone now but it made my heart glow to see so many people have been enjoying this story and I hope I'm able to keep it up for all of you. 
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

_”Kacchan.”_

Bakugo grumbled as he felt rough fingers in his hair. He moved to swat them away and heard a small chuckle next to him. 

“Kacchan, you’re going to be late if you don’t wake up.” Deku’s voice was soft, the way it always was first thing in the morning before anything had startled the teen back to his frantic normalcy. Kacchan couldn’t remember why Deku was in his bed, couldn’t remember going to sleep next to the other teen but it was nice to hear Deku’s voice. Bakugo reached his arm over, still deciding if he should shove the teen away or pull him close when the blond suddenly rolled over and hit the floor in his dorm. 

His dorm. 

Bakugo sat up, swearing as he stared at the empty space. 

Deku wasn’t here. He had just heard the nerd’s voice while he had been half asleep. Bakugo found himself rubbing his hand down his face as letting out a bitter laugh. Deku hadn’t been here for months, ever since the little shit vanished and took a piece of Bakugo with him. 

Deku wasn’t dead, Bakugo would never believe that Deku was dead, but the teen was still haunting him. 

The blond was going to punch the shitty nerd in the face when he saw the teen again, and then he was going to grab Deku and never let go. 

He grumbled to himself as he got up and changed into his UA uniform. He had almost thought about going in his casual clothes since he wasn’t actually going to class today but knew that he was walking on a thin line as it was with Aizawa-sensei and Endeavor. It was Bakugo’s first day back at Endeavor’s agency and the teen didn’t know what to expect. 

Would Hawks be there? 

What was the plan on getting Deku back?

He grabbed his hero costume suitcase and made it to the elevator, growling when he saw that it was already on the fifth floor. Sure enough, when the doors opened Iida and Tokoyami were blinking at him in surprise. Bakugo just nodded at them and took a step in and didn’t bother to wait for them when they made it to the ground floor as he stomped out of the building. Iida and Tokoyami followed, both teens heading in the same direction but Bakugo could hear them start to get curious as they all ended up on the same subway line, and then were walking down the same street. 

“Bakugo . . .” Iida started, his voice somehow both firm and confused. “Are you coming to the Endeavor Agency today?”

“What gave you that idea?” Bakugo smirked with a growl as he opened the front door to Endeavor’s Agency. He didn’t hold it for his classmates and just stomped in as both Iida and Tokoyami sighed behind him. 

Bakugo wasn’t here to work with them, though he would. He was here to get information out of Hawks, to figure out what the retired hero knew and how to Deku back. 

Bakugo was going to get Deku back. 

“I still can’t believe it!” Burnin’s voice filled the entryway and startled the few sidekicks and pedestrians that were already in the room. “If it isn’t Ground Zero, finally deeming to bless me with his presence.” 

The blond couldn’t help but smirk as he glared down at the woman who had harassed him over the years. “Actually, I didn’t know you would be here. Maybe I should reconsider.”

“You brat!” Burnin pulled him into a hug before he could slide away and Bakugo tensed as she held him tightly. She squeezed him a bit before whispering, “I was worried about you.”

Bakugo sighed as he gave her a hug back before he let go and glared at Tokoyami and Iida who were just watching in surprise. He didn’t understand why they were surprised, they had seen him hug people before. “Catch up already you idiots, I’m going to be joining your work study.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Iida swung his hand at Bakugo and the blond rolled his eyes but the class rep wasn’t done. “We would have filled you in to what we’ve been up to. Bakugo, you are usually much more prepared than this.”

And that kind of hurt. Bakugo felt his teeth clench at the words because Iida was right, he should have gone to them as soon as the decision had been made. 

“We can fill you in while we get into costume.” Tokoyami placed his hand on Bakugo’s shoulder and gave the teen a nod before he seemed to want to lighten the mood as he added, “Can’t wait to see Endeavor yell at you for a bit instead of us. It’ll be a nice change.”

“I don’t yell and all of you are still out of costume.” Endeavor’s voice caused the three students to stand straight and Bakugo’s eyes narrowed at the large man. Endeavor didn’t even glance his way as the hero, already burning in his hero costume, stomped to his office. “Once you three decide you’re ready to start the day, get to my office.”

The three students scrambled to the locker room, ignoring Burnin’s laughter and Kido’s catcall. Bakugo didn’t bother to apologize to his classmates but he figured when he finished changing and actually waited for them that they would understand his actions clearly enough. It seemed that they mainly had been put on patrols but that Endeavor had also started bringing them on research for a mission but they hadn’t been given all the details yet. Tokoyami expected that they were looking for missing people but Iida pointed out it was still too early to jump to any conclusions. 

Not that any of that mattered because as soon as they opened the door to Endeavor’s office, Tokoyami was making a startled noise and running into the waving arms of Hawks. 

Shit. 

Bakugo forgot about Tokoyami’s search for the missing ex-hero . . . he should have said something earlier. He let the small notion of guilt settle before he took a breath and turned his head to give his classmate some form of privacy as Tokoyami finally reunited with the retired hero that he had looked up to for so long. 

“Hawks! Hawks? Is it really you?” Tokoyami seemed torn between grabbing the retired hero or just hovering. “Hawks, you-”

“Tsukuyomi.” Endeavor’s voice silenced the teen and Bakugo turned his eyes to Endeavor. They were all on the clock now and that meant hero names. It was clear where Bakugo was willing to let Tokoyami have his reunion, it seemed Endeavor wanted to get to work. “Get in line. You can catch up in your off time.”

For a second it actually looked like Tokoyami was going to snap at Endeavor, the teen clenching his teeth as if he was forcing himself to stop. It didn’t matter because suddenly Hawks was pulling the teen down into a hug with a bright smile. “You’ve gotten taller than me!”

“Hawks-san.” Tokoyami hugged the retired hero back but then Hawks was pulling away. 

“We’ll catch up.” Hawks promised with a grin and Endeavor sighed which made Tokoyami separate and fall into line next to Bakugo and Iida. Hawks took a step next to Endeavor, but Bakugo could see that the ex-hero was tense, even if he was trying to come off as relaxed. Bakugo briefly wondered how long it had been since Hawks had been near any heroes like this, if that was setting the older blond on edge. 

Or if there was something else Hawks was worried about. 

“Ingenium and Tsukuyomi, I’m officially reading you in on my HPSC project.” Endeavor put his hand on a stack of papers and glared at the teens. “You’ve done some research but now I want you to be active participants. I expect you to be up to date by lunch, when Pro Hero Mirko and her trainee will join us to share information.”

“Fuck, Bunnicula is in on this too?” Bakugo growled even though he was excited to work with Kirishima. Red Riot always had his back. 

“There is no ‘too’, Ground Zero, you are not joining this investigation.” Endeavor glared at the blond and Bakugo clenched his fists. “You, Hawks, and Burnin will be taking over patrols.”

“What the fuck?” Bakugo hissed. 

“Endeavor-san, that’s not-” Hawks started, but Endeavor silenced them both with a look. 

Bakugo wanted to work with Hawks on finding Deku, he didn’t want to be stuck doing patrols. He had agreed to join Endeavor’s agency because he thought the older man understood that. Sure, Bakugo had agreed to do things Endeavor’s way but this was not what he had in mind. 

“You wanted to work together and now you are working together.” Endeavor’s voice didn’t leave any room for argument but Bakugo wasn’t going to just stand there. What about Deku? What about what they had talked about?

Hawks made a chirping noise and it startled Bakugo as he stared at the older blond, waiting for Hawks to say something but it seemed the retired hero had come to some sort of realization on his own. Bakugo was glad that Hawks seemed to be coming to some sort of understanding but Bakugo hadn’t and he wanted answers. 

“What about-” Bakugo didn’t finish what he was saying back suddenly Hawks was in his space and covering his mouth. He had moved quick enough to startle the teen and Bakugo had to hold back so that he didn’t bite Hawks’ gloved fingers. Hawks gave him a look that Bakugo didn’t understand and then the retired hero turned to smile at Endeavor. 

“I’m not sure what kind of help I’ll be out there, Endeavor-san. I don’t have a license.” Hawks rubbed the back of his head and Bakugo continued to seethe. What the fuck was going on and why was Hawks silencing him?

“Who said anything about you doing hero work?” Endeavor glowered at the wingless hero. “I just need you to get out in the open. Bakugo and Burnin will be doing all the work.”

Fuck. 

Bakugo found himself staring at Hawks after that. The retired hero’s smile faltered for a moment as Endeavor stared down both the blondes, waiting for them to react. Bakugo kept his mouth shut, deciding to take the lead from Hawks on this one but that didn’t change the fact that Endeavor just admitted to the fact that he was using Hawks. 

Endeavor was using Hawks as bait. 

…  
…  
…

“Are you sure it’s okay for you to miss the training camp?” Eri smiled as she set a cup of tea in front of Deku. The teen was still staring at her beautiful condo with high ceilings and walls of windows. Had Eri been a celebrity? He was pretty sure she said she had been a scientist when they had spoken the night before. 

“I’m sure.” Deku smiled, thinking back on everyone’s faces when he had introduced them to Eri. “I think if I had stayed then we would have just been a distraction. Everyone is determined to win at the end of the year and I don’t want to hurt their chances.” 

Takeda had been confused, and then happy, crying in the middle of the day as he had hugged Deku and then Eri. Saeko had made them explain themselves a few more times but eventually everyone seemed to just be shocked but happy for Deku. That said, Deku had a feeling if they stayed then they would have been grilled for more information and the teen really didn’t want to deal with them right now. 

Now he just wanted to talk with Eri. 

Eri. 

It really was his Eri. 

“I promised Takeda-sensei to bring you back to the school tomorrow morning . . .” Eri paused then and Deku glanced at her. “After all these years, I never thought I would see someone from my world, let alone you. I’m still afraid that this might be a dream.”

Deku could understand. He stared at his hand for a moment. “Somedays, I think I’m stuck in an illusion quirk and at any moment I’ll wake up and still be on the ground with you on my back and Kacchan yelling at us.”

“Sometimes, I think this is a dream. I met these amazing people and they’ve let me into their lives but this isn’t home.” Deku took a breath. “But the longer I’m here, the more I realize that this is reality. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see my family again, that all my dreams of becoming a hero have suddenly ended and now I’m in a world like mine but so very different.”

“It gets easier.” Eri’s voice was soft as she reached over to grab Deku’s hand but paused. “I still think about them but the memories have faded, eventually, it got easier to breathe here. It got easier to be here.”

“You’re older than me now.” Deku stared at her, at her long hair and laugh lines. “I think I finally just realized that you’re older than me. Eri, I’ve been so worried about you but you don’t need me anymore.”

“I’m closer to forty than I want to admit.” Eri laughed as she moved so that she could take the seat next to Deku. “Deku, do you want to come live with me?”

“What?” Deku was honestly still reeling from the fact that Eri was here, safe, and with him. He hadn’t put much thought past the fact that he wanted to spend more time with her. 

Living with her?

“We can talk about this more later but I was thinking about it on the drive over here. I’m sure Takeda-sensei is doing an amazing job, and it seems like you’ve made a nice life for yourself in Karasuno but . . .” Eri wrung her hands together for a moment before she smiled at him. “But I can help you now.”

Deku reached over to grab her hand, constantly surprised by how large it was compared to how he remembered her. 

She had lived a whole life without him. 

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you.” Deku bowed his head. Eri protested but Deku couldn’t let go of the fact that she had been on her own. She had been lucky, they had both been incredibly lucky to find people to make homes with but it wasn’t the same. “I should have been here with you, we should have done this together.”

“It’s too late to worry about that.” Eri held Deku’s hand tightly and made sure he was looking up at her. “I had a wonderful and normal life. I have an amazing family. If we had been here together, who knows what would have happened. Maybe we would still be trying to find our way home or use our quirks?”

“Can you use yours?” Deku perked up, his eyes glancing at where her small horn was hidden by her hair. “I’ve tried a few times but-”

“You get fevers.” Eri’s response startled Deku and he nodded. She got up from the table and motioned for him to follow her up the stairs and into another room that looked like an office. Deku stared at the wide range of books before he noticed Eri was going through a filing cabinet and pulling out some folders. “Honestly, when I first got here I was too scared to try and use my quirk but I did try a few times and would end up catching a terrible cold.”

Eri took a seat at the desk and laid out her notes and Deku’s eyes widened as he saw the information. “I eventually stopped trying but when I was older, I started studying biology to try and understand quirks better. I tried to use my quirk again in college but at that point the fevers never came and it seemed like . . . I had grown out of it. Like how your body adjusts and adapts as it gets older naturally.”

“So your quirk is gone?” Deku wanted to read all her notes but found himself looking at her. “Do you think-”

“I think if you use your quirk you’ll still get fevers. Right now your body is trying to adapt to this new world and that means getting rid of the things that don’t fit.” Eri pulled her hair back in a messy bun that reminded Deku of Aizaway as she opened up her laptop on her desk. “This is all guesswork, of course, but I think it took about two years before my quirk was fully gone.”

“Do . . . do you think I would be able to keep it?” Deku felt like his heart was pounding in his chest. “Do you think-”

Eri blinked at him before she frowned at her computer. “Deku-nii, it might be better for you to let it go.”

“Eri-chan.” Deku stared at her, really took a chance to stare at the woman she had become. She had moved on, had created her own life, and was excelling at it. She was excited to see him but he also must have been a stark reminder to her about everything she had lost as a child. He shook his head and started sliding the papers back in the folder as he smiled at her. “You’re right, I’m sorry for bringing this up after all this time for you. Even if we find a way home, it’s not like-”

“Home?” Eri blinked at him, genuinely concerned. “Deku-nii, are you still trying to find a way back?”

And Deku wanted to tell her no, now that he was here and she was safe, he was happy to find a new life for himself. Part of him knew that he shouldn’t be holding out hope for something that was extremely unlikely, that he would live his life as a ghost of himself if he never allowed himself to find a life here. The other part, however. 

The part of him that didn’t want to lose One For All. 

The part of him that longed for his friends again. For his mom, for All Might. For Kacchan. 

That part that hadn’t given up on being a hero. 

“Deku.” Eri grabbed both of his hands and held on tightly as she stared at him. Her expression was pained but she forced the words out anyway. “In all my research, in all my years here, I don’t think it’s possible for us to find a way back from this world.”

Deku blinked. 

This world. 

Then-

“Then you think-” Deku started and Eri found herself nodding. 

“I think that they can find us back home but you have to keep something in mind. Thirty years passed between us landing in this world, a split second difference between us was thirty years.” Deku nodded as he realized what she was saying. 

Neither of them could know how much time had passed back home, or if it was possible that anyone was still looking for them. If a second was thirty years for Deku and Eri, then how much time had passed back home?

Would Deku be an old man by the time he saw his friends again?

Would he ever see his mom again?

…  
…  
...

Hawks should have known better. 

He had been so distracted by the mountain of obsession that was having Endeavor back in his life he hadn’t considered what the older man’s plans were. He had been keeping his own plans close to the chest so he should have expected the older man to do the same. 

Bait. 

Hawks was going to be bait. 

Either for the LOV or for the HPSC, Hawks didn’t know who would respond and he had a feeling that Endeavor didn’t care. Endeavor wanted to take down all the bad guys and he was going to try and use Hawks to lure them out. 

It honestly wasn’t a bad idea. 

Hawks wondered if he should be flattered, he was apparently a hot commodity for the wrong type of people. Maybe it was his smile, he had always been told his smile made people want to punch him or kiss him. 

Sometimes both. 

“Hey, since you’re not a hero anymore what am I supposed to call you?” Bakugo’s voice jarred Hawks out of his thoughts as the older blond just stared at Bakugo for a moment. The balls on this kid were insane, and Hawks would have thought it was amusing if the aggression wasn’t currently being directed at him. Bakugo just stared down at him. “Or are you going to pretend that you’re actually going to be some help on patrol and we should call you Hawks?”

If Hawks had still had his wings, Bakugo would have been on the floor in a second. Even without the feathers, Hawks figured he could get a good punch or two in but the fact remained that he needed Bakugo’s help to find Deku. 

And Bakugo was going to need his help. 

“Hawks.” Hawks said his name slowly, as if Bakugo was a small child and smirked as Bakugo clicked his tongue before stomping off. 

Then they were on the street, Burnin taking the lead as the woman started talking up every person they came across. Bakugo didn’t seem surprised by the behavior and Hawks just watched, in his civilian clothes. Honestly, he probably looked like someone who had gotten in trouble and now the heroes were escorting him to the police station a few blocks away. 

“Ground Zero!” A small girl ran up to the frowning teen. “I knew you were working with Endeavor! It’s cool to see your new costume!”

“Yeah.” Was all Bakugo said and Hawks wanted to kick the teen but the girl just stared in awe as they continued walking down the sidewalk. 

Maybe all of Ground Zero’s fans were masochists. 

Hawks definitely wasn’t allowed to judge considering who his number one hero was. 

“What’s your real name?” Bakugo was next to Hawks again. “Or have you thought of a new hero name, since you don’t have wings anymore?”

“Shit, Ground Zero, give the guy some slack.” Burnin sent a flame towards Bakugo but it stopped before it actually hit the teen. She glanced at Hawks before turning to the younger blonde. “Boss filled me in, said that you two have something cooking. If that’s the case, you should use this time to work together and figure out your next steps instead of antagonizing him.”

Hawks blinked at that. 

How much had Endeavor told her? Hawks didn’t remember Endeavor leaving his sight for long, and he would have heard a phone call at the apartment, so that meant Hawks had missed something. Burnin felt his gaze and smirked before giving him a wink. Hawks just smirked back and fluttered his eyes, getting a laugh out of the sidekick. He took a breath before turning over to Bakugo who was frowning as he looked out into the crowd. 

“If it really bothers you, call me Keigo.” Hawks poked Bakugo’s rather well defined arm muscle getting the teens attention. “But Hawks is my name.”

Bakugo nodded, probably the closest thing Hawks would get to an apology, and the team continued their walk. Occasionally someone would glance at Hawks in confusion, as if trying to place him, but for the most part Ground Zero and Burnin got all of the attention. 

Of course things went sideways just as they started making their way back to the Endeavor agency. There had been a flash of light, something only Hawks had seen and the older man found himself pulling both Ground Zero and Burnin back just as a giant sword embedded itself in the building next to them. 

“Around the corner.” Hawks muttered and knew they didn’t need anything else. Ground Zero was already making a scene by blasting in the air, keeping the attention on him as Burnin stayed low to the ground. There was shouting and people were running away from the scene, and Hawks turned to focus on them. A woman tripped and nearly fell on her face but Hawks grabbed her just in time and helped her keep moving. 

There was a hissing noise, something unfamiliar to the chaos and Hawks found himself jumping back just as the ground exploded beneath him. He nearly fell back but his body had adapted without his wings and he was able to catch himself and shove a bystander out of the way as the ground continued to crumble. 

His eyes could still see. 

His ears could still hear. 

“Hawks!” Ground Zero was next to him in an instant and Hawks only had a moment before suddenly he was being tossed up in the air and the teen was attacking whoever had been coming for him underground. Hawks felt weightless for only a moment before a large hand was around his waist and he felt heat against his back. 

“I know I wanted you to be seen but this isn’t what I had in mind.” Endeavor’s voice was in his ear and Hawks shivered for many reasons as he let himself be held. Not that he was in the air long because Endeavor was landing on the nearest roof and depositing him like a sack of potatoes. “You okay?”

“You sure know how to treat a girl, Endeavor-san.” Hawks wiped off his pants as he stood straight and looked up at the man with a smile. “Let me choose the next date, okay?”

If Endeavor had anything to say, the older man kept his mouth shut as he peered over the side of the building. Hawks joined him and smiled to see Burnin already talking to the police as Bakugo tied the three perpetrators together. From the bags of money next to them, they must have robbed the bank and freaked out when they saw the heroes on patrol. 

The villains were idiots. If they hadn’t attacked Burnin or Ground Zero, they probably would have gotten away with the robbery but they must have assumed the heroes had been there to stop them and not just on a normal patrol. Well, Hawks figured, at least the bad guys were stopped at the end of the day. 

There was a gust of wind and Hawks glanced up to see a helicopter fly by and he found himself glaring at the older man next to him. “I guess everyone knows I’m alive now, and who I’m with.”

Endeavor just nodded as he surveyed the street one more time. “Good.”

Hawks briefly wondered if he could shove the man off the side before he settled with putting his hands on his hips and chuckling. His eyes met Bakugo’s as the teen glanced up from the ground and Hawks started planning his first steps with the hero trainee. 

He wondered if Bakugo was good with kids. 

…  
...  
...

Contrary to popular belief, Kageyama thought of more things than just volleyball. 

He thought about volleyball, of course, but he also thought about his grandpa. About the man’s influence on his life. About this sister, and his family. He thought about the teammates he left behind when he came to Karasuno, about the teammates he gained. 

He thought about Hinata, and about it was always a thrill to grow and compete with the orange haired player. 

Occasionally he thought about school work. 

Rarely he thought about if animals liked him. 

Now that their weekend training camp was over and they were all back on the bus, Kageyama found himself wondering about Midoriya. He thought about how much Iwaizumi had loved the ideas of aliens and now Kageyama had met an other-worldly traveler and honestly, the setter was a little disappointed. Midoriya was normal, just like the rest of them. 

So much for the little green men that Iwaizumi had told stories about in middle-school. 

But it was also hard to think about. Like remembering how to spell different words in english when they were perfectly fine in japanese. Was Midoriya really not from this world? And if he wasn’t, then why had Takeda-sensei said that Midoriya was his cousin? Who else knew?

“Hey, Grumpyama, stop making that face.” Hinata wasn’t even looking at Kageyama and it made the setter frown even more. The decoy turned from where he had been talking to Nishinoya in the next row and leaned into Kageyama’s space. “What are you thinking so hard about? We don’t have any tests this week.”

They actually had two tests but Kageyama didn’t have the energy to argue. 

“I’m thinking about what we learned before camp.” Kageyama admitted and smirked when he finally got all of Hinata’s attention. “Midoriya and the-”

“Do you want to ask him more questions? I think he’s sitting with Ryu-senpai.” Hinata motioned like he was about to get up but Kageyama pulled him back in the seat and just sighed. 

“Let’s ask him later.” Kageyama sighed as Hinata laid back and started using his shoulder as a pillow. “Comfortable?”

“No, you’re too skinny.” Hinata huffed but Kageyama just stared at the window because he knew it was only a matter of time before the short teen fell asleep. The setter wondered if Midoriya would show them some of those videos again, or maybe if the teen could still use those special abilities he had talked about. The dark haired teen felt his eyes go heavy as he wondered if people played volleyball in Midoriya’s world, and what it might look like with super powers. 

Might actually be pretty cool. 

...  
...  
…

Toga narrowed her eyes at the small television they had set up in their lair. She watched how the young future hero Ground Zero threw Hawks in the air to get the man out of the way of a ground attack. Watched how Hawks was then escorted to safety by Endeavor, before Hawks stood on the roof of the building and had the gall to wave at the news cameras with a smile. 

She wondered if he would be able to smile all the way to the end. 

“Hey, Toga, time to check in the sleeping giant. You want in?” Spinner’s voice caught her attention and she perked up. She did love checking in on sleeping beauty. 

“Sorry, Shu-chan! I was distracted by the little bird that got away.” She hopped off the back of the couch and got into the lizard’s space with a smile. “He won’t be free for long.”

“Just don’t get yourself killed like Dabi.” Spinner huffed and Toga frowned. The lizard pointed at the television as the cameras focused on Burnin and Ground Zero. “Hey, it’s that Bakugo kid. Any sign of Deku with him? They were usually together.”

“No.” Toga groaned as they started to make their way down the hall and into the basement. “Seems Izuku might really be missing.”

“It has been a few months, and I would have expected to see All Might’s student by now.” Spinner shook his head. “We shouldn’t get distracted, even if hero Deku is gone then that just means Shigaraki has one less hurdle.”

Toga didn’t care about Shigaraki’s plans, not really, but they usually went with her own goals so that had been nice. And they were also a lot of fun. 

Toga liked having fun. 

“Don’t worry, Shu-chan, I won’t get distracted.” Toga hummed as she thought of her next step. She had been saving blood over the years and months and it was about time for her to start using it. Really using it. “I’m good at making plans, and my plans usually help us out by the end.”

“Usually is the key word there.” Spinner laughed. 

…  
…  
…

It had been a long day. 

A long week. 

Takeda was beginning to wonder if there was a time in his life that had been simple. It definitely hadn’t felt simple since he had decided to become a teacher. And now after a bizarre weekend and a long day at work, followed by volleyball practice where Ukai had left early, all Takeda wanted was to get home and take a long bath. 

Izuku had been acting weird all day and Takeda had been hoping to ask the teen about it but the kid had run off with Ryu after practice and now Takeda was coming home to an empty house. Honestly, the teacher was still reeling about the fact that Eri had been real, not only had the little girl been real but she had managed to find Izuku in all the madness. When everyone had gotten back home, Izuku had told Takeda about Eri’s offer for Izuku to live with her and the teacher . . . had not expected to feel disappointed by the thought. Eri was the closest thing Izuku had to family and Takeda had no right to separate them but the teacher had to admit that he had grown attached. 

They hadn’t brought up the conversation again but Takeda knew it was only a matter of time. 

Takeda sighed as he fished out the key to his front door, unlocking it so that he could get inside, only to pause when he realized it was already open. He was pretty sure Izuku wasn’t going to be home but maybe the teen had forgotten something? Takeda opened the door and kicked off his shoes. “Izuku? I thought you were with Ryu-chan.”

“Not Izuku!” Ukai’s deep voice sounded and Takeda found his face flushing as he realized he would have a night alone with the other man. He started to put his things away as he went down the hall only to pause as he entered the dining room to see a table set with what looked like only partially burnt home cooking, candles, and flowers. 

“Uh.” Takeda paused, wondering if he had missed a birthday or anniversary. 

“Sensei, calm down.” Ukai was laughing and Takeda took that as a good sign as he went over to kiss his boyfriend. The younger man motioned towards the spread of food. “I just thought it had been a while since we had a real date night . . .”

“This is nice.” Takeda admits as he slips his jacket off and takes a seat at the table. He perked up at the sight of a dvd at the corner of the table and smiled brightly. “Is that a superhero movie?”

Ukai groaned as he grabbed the dvd and handed it over to Takeda. “Yes, I’ll finally watch this silly movie with you. Personally, I would have preferred to rent an anime but I decided to make this sacrifice for you.”

Takeda rolled his eyes. “You’re too kind, but seriously Keishin, what is all this for?”

Takeda felt his smile falter as Ukai paused and the teacher felt his heart start beating faster. Ukai was nervous and that never meant anything good. He didn’t think Ukai was going to break up with him, they seemed to be over their on again off again streak but then, Takeda couldn’t think of any other reason why the coach would be nervous. 

“I want to come out to my parents and tell them that I’m dating you.”

Or that. 

That was a good enough reason to be nervous. 

“You-” Takeda started but he had to take a breath. Ukai wanted to come out to his parents. Keishin Ukai, the boy’s volleyball coach and store manager wanted to come out to his parents and make their relationship known. Ukai’s parents were kind, lovely people, but they only had one child and Takeda knew that grandchildren was something they had hoped to see one day. 

Ukai wanted to end that hope. 

“You can’t.” The words were out of Takeda’s mouth and the older man regretted them as soon as he saw Ukai’s face fall. “No, I mean, Keishin, have you thought about this? Are you sure? Are you sure you’re gay?”

Ukai’s face would be priceless if it wasn’t for the fact that Takeda thought he was about to have a heart attack. “Sensei, I’ve been dating you for the better half of a year . . .”

“Yes, but that’s now. What if you change your mind?” Takeda reached for Ukai’s hand but the coach took it off the table as the younger man stared at the teacher. 

“Change my . . .” 

Takeda nodded. Ukai was young, he was still in his twenties and had plenty of time to figure out if he wanted to start a family one day. Ukai had dated plenty of women and Takeday was his first man, there was no need to make bold statements, not yet. 

No need to do something that could make his family disown him. 

What would happen if Ukai changed his mind? What if rumors got started and suddenly the town knew of their relationship? Sure, it was the 21st century, and their team had been accepting, but that didn’t mean everyone would be. What if Ukai wasn’t allowed to coach? What if Takeda was forced out at the school?

“Sensei, breathe.” Two large hands grabbed his face and Takeda blinked as he stared at the young man in front of him. Ukai rubbed Takeda’s cheeks, then the back of the teacher’s neck and Takeda let his head fall forward on the younger man’s chest as he took deep breaths. 

It was fine. 

It would be okay. 

Ukai hadn’t done anything yet. There was nothing to regret yet. 

“Sensei, you might not want to hear this.” Ukai’s voice was soft in Takeda’s ear. The younger man kissed the side of Takeda’s head before whispering. “I love you, and I don’t plan to let you go.”

Tears welled up in Takeda’s eyes and the older man started shaking his head but Ukai silenced him with a kiss. It was soft and gentle and Ukai kept a firm hold on the teacher. “I’ll table this for now but sensei, I want you to know I’m serious. I know you’re scared, I might not understand why but I know you are so I won’t do anything.”

“What if they kick you out?” Takeda’s voice was soft. “What if you regret this?”

“If my parents kick me out, then we can go live with Coach Nekomata.” Ukai’s voice was light, clearly trying to make a joke and Takeda hated how he let out a strained laugh from it. The younger man kissed the teachers forehead and sighed. “I won’t regret this.” 

Takeda wasn’t sure but he decided to let it go. 

He could tell Ukai wanted to talk more but he was tired so instead they moved the food to the living and started the movie in silence. Takeda grabbed Ukai’s hand part way through and didn’t let go, even as he fell asleep to the Avengers striking a heroic pose on screen. The teacher tried to stay awake, wanted to spend as much time with Ukai as possible but exhaustion took over. 

They would talk again tomorrow. 

Tomorrow, Takeda might be able to feel a little braver. 

…  
…  
...

Hawks didn’t know how he should feel as he stared at the evening news. It had taken time but the media had finally realized who the “small man” next to Endeavor was and now they were speculating about ‘retired hero Hawks’ return’. 

There was definitely no going back now. 

His lunch with Tokoyami had been subdued. The teen had asked questions that Hawks couldn’t answer and eventually Tokoyami settled for updating Hawks on his own life. Hawks had already known most of it, having tried to keep an eye on the kid this whole time, but it was nice to see his former intern was doing okay. Apparently Tokoyami even had some of his old stuff from Hawks’ old apartment. 

_”I helped your former sidekicks pack up your place when we realized you weren’t coming back.” Tokoyami was quiet, most likely thinking about the fact that Hawks’ sidekicks were dead. Hawks certainly couldn’t escape that thought. “After they were murdered, I kept a small box of things I thought you might want back. I’ll bring it to the office for my next shift.”_

Hawks honestly didn’t want to know what was in the box but he couldn’t turn it down. Tokoyami had clearly wanted to do something for him and Hawks wasn’t going to reject the nice effort. 

Getting some alone time with Bakugo had been harder than Hawks had wanted it to be but eventually both blondes had to settle for having Burnin in their talk. She had smiled brightly, trying to make it clear that she was part of their team, and Hawks eventually gave in. The retired hero was going to take Bakugo and Burnin to meet Reimena in a few days, but he wanted to make sure that the news of his return had died down first. 

Reimena would prove that Deku was still alive, let Hawks gain some of Bakugo’s confidence, and then they could start the next steps in operation ‘bring back shitty nerd and Hero Eri’ as Bakugo had named it. 

Hawks honestly wondered if he imagined the chemistry between Bakugo and Deku way back when, with the way that Bakugo talked about Deku. 

The news started playing the rescue scene over again, the camera focusing on Ground Zero but Hawks could see himself at the bottom of the screen. Could see how he scrambled and how he got people out of the way. 

Hero work. 

It had been a while. 

“Cute pajamas.” Endeavor’s voice startled Hawks out of his thoughts and the blond turned to see Endeavor in a tank and sweats, clearly having just come out of his gym. Hawks hadn’t even heard him moving around the apartment which felt like a warning to the retired, he was putting down his guard when he shouldn’t be. 

Hawks glanced down at the pajamas Endeavor was talking about and felt his cheeks pink a little. He had ordered them online when he had been at Mirko’s and didn’t feel ashamed at all by the Endeavor flame pattern on the boxers or the fact that the shirt was a few sizes too big and said ‘MIRKO SIMP’ in bold letters. He had kept his gloves off this time, not bothering to hide the burn scars that Endeavor had already seen and Hawks just found himself shrugging before he motioned to the television. “Everyone knows I’m alive, that’s what you wanted right?”

“It is.” Endeavor didn’t look bothered at all as he sat down on the other side of the couch. The older man was drinking from a bottle of water and Hawks allowed his eyes to watch Enji’s throat for a moment before he turned away. He didn’t have time to fantasize about the man, he needed to get on the same page with the hero instead. 

“Endeavor-san.” Hawks tilted his head back so it was on the back of the couch and turned so that he was blatantly looking at the older man now. Endeavor was staring back at him with a frown and Hawks considered it a victory that he had the man’s attention at all. “How do you want to do this? You tell me your plan and I’ll tell you mine?”

It was the closest that Hawks was willing to admit to giving in, he was willing to do things Endeavor’s way for a bit. 

“We aren’t children.” Endeavor sighed and Hawks smirked a bit at that. The older man pulled out a small laptop bag that was next to the couch and opened it. “I should have told you my plan from the start.”

“As you know from your time with Mirko, I’m looking into HPSC and trying to figure out their past actions that haven’t been above board.” Endeavor pulled out an old laptop and Hawks was thankful that the man didn’t turn it on but instead pulled out some papers as well that the older hero then handed to the blond. “You worked with the HPSC for some time, I imagine that is how you were able to help Mirko fill in some blanks while you were with her but I’m hoping you might have more.”

“Did the HPSC do something?” Hawks fished, trying not to hate himself for it. 

“Half a year ago I realized that they might have been doing experiments on kids.” Endeavor’s voice was steady, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Hawks had been there when Dabi had tried to kill the older man, Hawks might not have known what Endeavor was referring to. The hero clenched his fists. “At first I didn’t want to believe it since they are the backbone to our society but the deeper I look the more it seems like they have had their hands in some dark operations.”

Hawks nodded, looking at the information Endeavor had handed him. “You already know about when I worked with them to infiltrate the League of Villains.”

“Asking heroes to do undercover work is one thing.” Endeavor growled before he handed Hawks a list that had three names on it. One name in particular had Hawks sweating but Endeavor didn’t seem to notice. “These are three kids the HPSC made a record of and then the kids never showed up again. No schools, no training centers, not even a funeral with the families. I believe the HPSC started recruiting children, most likely manipulating the parents, and built their own network of agents to do the work that Heroes would never be willing to do.”

Hawks stared at his name on the page before he smiled up at Endeavor. “What makes you think it’s one of these three?”

“I think it’s more than these three, no, I know it’s more.” Endeavor admitted before he took the list back. “And I have Mirko looking into some more possible names but right now I need to at least find one of these missing kids.”

Hawks took a breath. 

Endeavor wasn't the number one hero for nothing. The younger man put Endeavor’s papers back together as his mind tried to plan his next steps. Endeavor was going to find out Hawks was one of those kids, it was only a matter of time. All Hawks could do right now was try to control when that time was. 

“Let me look into it.” Hawks hummed before he pulled out his smart phone and opened up a note that had a list of people. He handed the phone over to Endeavor, not bothering to be polite about it as he got into the older man’s space. “These are the people I’m going to take Bakugo to meet.”

“You think they’ll be able to bring Deku back?” Endeavor didn’t sound hopeful or doubtful, it was just an honest question. 

Hawks glanced at his phone and tried for a little honesty as well. “I hope so.”

…  
…  
…

“Shhhh.” There was something hard pressing into Deku, the teen couldn’t see because the room was so dark but he had an idea of what it was as he pressed his own hips back. He made a small noise, like the small friction he was getting wasn’t enough and that got a dark chuckle out of the hard body behind him. “Such a fucking slut, aren’t you?”

“Nnn.” Deku shook his head, he wouldn’t do anything like this with anyone else. He felt a warm hand on his hips, it was calloused in all the ways he remembered it being as it stroked his bare skin. 

“Deku, tell me what you want.” Kacchan’s voice was deep and guttural and it made Deku’s toes curl as Kacchan’s hand pressed against his hip. “You have to tell me.”

“Ka-” Deku had to swallow the next moan as Kacchan’s hand slid to the base of his cock. His skin was on fire and he could feel every place they were touching, Kacchan’s touch was melting into him and the teen could only choke out. “Touch me, please.”

Kacchan let out an amused laugh as his hand wrapped around Deku’s aching cock. Deku tried to move his hips to get some movement but Kacchan’s other hand was holding him still. “You have to ask, Deku.”

“Fu-” Deku whined, his teeth clenching together as Kacchan tightened his fist. The teen turned his head, trying to see Kacchan and beg him but when Deku turned suddenly he was face first on the cold floor.

Fuck. 

Deku blinked his eyes slowly as he sat up, ignoring the evidence of his rather vivid wet dream to look around the empty room he had made his own in Takeda’s apartment. 

His mind seemed war with itself between trying to feel the palpable frustration the dream had left behind or to feel the overwhelming depression of waking up to know that it had only been a dream because Deku would never see Kacchan again. Deku would never feel Kacchan’s touch, or hear how the blond teen’s voice got when it was focused on something. 

Tears were already filling his eyes but Deku held them back. 

He wasn’t going to cry because he had a wet dream. 

He wasn’t going to cry for something he couldn’t change. 

Deku sighed before he rolled back over to the mattress, wanting to go back to sleep, before the sticky situation in his pants let itself be known. 

He would have to take care of that first before he could even think about getting anymore sleep. 

…  
…  
...

Mirko hated feeling like there was something she was missing. Like something was right beneath her nose but she couldn’t sense it. 

She had seen Hawks at Endeavor’s office, had seen how the two men seemed to walk around each other and had felt like something was off. It wasn’t Endeavor’s behavior but Hawk’s . . . Hawks’ behavior had set her on edge. 

The retired hero has always kept things close to the chest but Mirko was beginning to see his tell. 

He was hiding something. 

Something she needed to know. 

“Mirko!” Red Riot nearly ran into her in his haste to get her attention and Mirko had to grab the teen to make sure he didn’t fall over. “Mirko, we’re needed downtown.”

Her ears twitched as she heard the sirens in the distance. “Then let’s not keep them waiting. What info do you have?”

She didn’t wait to see if he was following her as she took off with a hop. Her earpiece activated immediately and she had to admit she appreciated how fast Kirishima was, maybe not on his feet but at least on the uptake. Red Riot’s voice broke through easily enough. “There was a sting happening at the N hotel but something went wrong and it collapsed on itself.”

Mirko landed on the nearest roof and paused. “I don’t usually get called in for rescue.”

“They need you to track. Apparently the villains got away but pro hero Booster, who was part of the sting, is missing and they haven’t heard from his trainee Phantom Thief either.” Red Riot’s voice had faltered on the mention of the trainee and Mirko wondered which UA kid it was. She had never planned to get an intern or sidekick so she didn’t really pay attention to people unless they made her pay attention. Red Riot continued despite his distress and Mirko had to admit that this kid had guts. “Thirteen is already there for the rescue.”

“And I’m already on site. Where are you, kid?” Mirko landed with a thud and took a deep breath as her nose started to divide up the scents. She wasn’t as strong as a blood hound but she could still get the job done. 

“I’m a block out. Don’t wait for me.” 

Mirko smirked. “Wasn’t planning on it.” 

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -underage wet dream  
> -fear of homophobia  
> -swearing  
> -Bakugo shows no respect 
> 
> And that's it! All reviews are welcome!


	12. It's gonna take a superman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you think coach and Take-chan are acting weird?” Tanaka sighed and Ennoshita was surprised by the question. 
> 
> Takeda-sensei and Coach were acting weird. 
> 
> Everyone had seen it and had just decided to not bring it up. Ennoshita had honestly thought that if anyone would know what was happening, then it would be Tanaka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:   
> **WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER** This chapter contains brief reference to homophobia and suicide. Not with any of the main characters but a moment referenced when someone talks about their past. I wanted to call it here because I know that can be an issue. If you do not want to read the scene, then skip the Takeda-sensei scene and I'll provide a one sentence summary at the bottom so that you don't miss what happened. 
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Author’s Note:   
> Sorry for the long delay! I went on vacation thinking that I would get SO MUCH writing done...turns out that did not happen. Work has also been A LOT since I got back but I have one more week of work before we have a small holiday break so I'm hoping to get more chapters out over that break! Thank you for your patience. 
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

“Hurry up, Tsukki!” 

Ennoshita laughed as Yamaguchi antagonized Karasuno’s middle blocker up the heartbreak hill. Or he would have laughed if he could catch his breath. Tanaka was running beside him with a level of concentration that made the team captain wonder what was going through their ace’s head but then they turned the corner and found the outlook where everyone else was stretching as they tried to catch their breaths. 

The team captain slowed down and took a gasping breath just as Tanaka let out a victory cry that sounded more like a groan. Ennoshita did laugh this time. “You would think after three years we would be used to this hill.”

“At least we’re not as bad as Tsukishima.” Tanaka groaned and Ennoshita glanced over at Tsukki who was using Yamaguchi as a crutch while the green haired teen rubbed his back. Tanaka glanced at his phone before shouting to the rest of the team. “All right, coach and Yachi should be ready for us. Everyone stretch before you head down.”

“Yeah!” Hinata and Nishinoya were jumping up and down with enough fervor to make Ennoshita even more tired. 

Captain and vice captain waited and the rest of the team was heading down before they started doing their stretches. After that one time where Tsukishima had accidentally tripped and scraped his leg pretty bad, leaving poor Yamaguchi to basically carry the tall blond back to the school, Ennoshita and Tanaka decided they would always be in the back of the pack. Ennoshita sighed, watching as Tanaka pulled his leg up to stretch before the captain realized what he was doing and looked away. 

“Do you think coach and Take-chan are acting weird?” Tanaka sighed and Ennoshita was surprised by the question. 

Takeda-sensei and Coach were acting weird. 

Everyone had seen it and had just decided to not bring it up. Ennoshita had honestly thought that if anyone would know what was happening, then it would be Tanaka. 

“Do you think they broke up again?” Ennoshita took a guess as they started walking down the hill, they didn’t need to run back and he hoped that Hinata and Kageyama weren’t racing down such a steep hill. 

Not again, anway. 

“I don’t think so.” Tanaka sighed before he groaned and rubbed the top of his head. “I wish Take-chan would just settle down. This is the happiest I’ve seen him in a long time, it’s certainly the longest relationship he’s ever had, but it’s like he has a fear of commitment or something.”

Ennoshita didn’t know if he should know this stuff but it was clearly bothering Tanaka. The teen was probably looking for someone to talk about it with and Ennoshita tried not to be too pleased that Tanaka had chosen him. 

“Has he always had a problem with commitment?” Ennoshita glanced up at the sky as he thought about it. “Takeda-sensei has always been popular with the students, I know the girls always wonder why he’s still single.”

“Well . . .” Tanaka paused for a moment before he shrugged. “I don’t know when he realized he was gay but he didn’t come out to Saeko and I until he was in college. He was dating someone then but it didn’t last long. I’m sure he’s dated since then but it’s different with Coach. They clearly like each other but sometimes it seems like Coach is still chasing Take-chan around.”

Ennoshita hummed as he thought about how the two men had been interacting since they had been found out. “It’s more like Takeda-sensei is running away from love.”

“Love.” Tanaka repeated and Ennoshita felt his face heat up. 

“I mean, uh, I didn’t mean to imply they were in love but-maybe-” Ennoshita felt his face continue to heat up. Why did he say love? Why was he freaking out about saying the word love? Tanaka had to think he was being weird. 

“Haha, it’s like Take-chan is running from love!” Tanaka laughed before elbowing Ennoshita in the side. “Maybe I should ask him about it. Not sure what he would think was scary about it.”

Ennoshita rubbed his side as he glanced away from his longtime crush. “Well, not everyone can be like you.”

“Because I’m manly!” Tanaka slung his arm around Ennoshita’s shoulders with a bright smile. “Not sure how I could have grown up in the same house with Take-chan and ended up so much braver than him when it comes to matters of the heart.”

“Maybe it’s just not as easy for everyone like it is you.” Ennoshita smiled, though he didn’t really feel like smiling. “I’m certainly not as brave as you are.”

Tanaka paused for a moment and stared at Ennoshita. The captain found his heart racing as he wondered if he just gave himself away but then it seemed like the vice captain was thinking for a moment. 

“Maybe it’s because you haven’t found the person worth being brave for?” Tanaka smiled softly at Ennoshita before finally letting go over the teen’s shoulder and taking a few steps further down the hill. 

Ennoshita found his feet frozen at those words. 

It wasn’t that simple. 

It wasn’t. 

“Ryu.” Ennoshita felt his face heat up as he reached out to grab Tanaka’s arm. “I . . . I-”

“Chikara!” Nishinoya’s voice caused Ennoshita to jump as he let go over Ryu’s arm. They saw the libero waving at them from the bottom of the hill. “You both should hurry! Coach is getting tired of waiting for both of you.”

“Heading down!” Tanaka yelled back before smiling at Ennoshita. “Let’s go, captain!”

Ennoshita felt empty for a moment as he stared at Tanaka before he forced a smile to his face and started to head down the hill at a quicker pace. “Right behind you, vice captain.”

…  
…  
…

The students stared at the television as they watched a recording of N hotel collapsing on itself. It was lunch time and class 3-A and 3-B had been eating together, at least the ones who didn’t have their work studies at the moment, but they had all gone quiet as Pro Hero Booster’s picture had gone up on the screen. They were in the meeting area outside of training field Alpha, where they had been scheduled to spend the day practicing defensive maneuvers. 

“. . . part of a sting operation that went bad. We are reporting live about an incident that happened an hour ago. As you can see, our film crew was able to get the moment that N hotel collapsed where we expect Booster, his sidekicks Silver, Gold, and his trainee Phantom Thief were inside at the time. It has been reported that hero Mirko and her trainee Red Ri-” The television continued talking and Uraraka grabbed Kendo’s arms as the girls stared at the screen with wide eyes. 

“I’m calling Kirishima.” Tetsutestu already had his phone to his ear but the students weren’t looking at him, instead their eyes all turned to Shinso who was staring at the screen with a blank look on his face. Tetsutetsu seemed to feel the tension building in the room and reached over to the lanky teen but his hand was slapped away as Shinso turned to leave the area. 

“Shinso, you can’t-”

“Are you going to stop me?” Shinso turned to the class but everyone held their tongue, not knowing if he would use his quirk on them right then. He wouldn’t, but at the same time this was Monoma who was currently missing under rubble. 

“Shinso.” Kendo started, then she seemed empowered when it was clear he wasn’t using his quirk. Or maybe it was the fact that Kendo was the only person that Monoma seemed to defer to that the teen hadn’t tried to control her. “Wait for Vlad-sensei, he’ll-”

An explosion went off on the television and everyone stared as the reporter screamed at the camera. The building was now engulfed in blue flames as it finished falling to the ground. 

“Kirishima isn’t picking up.” Tetsutestu didn’t seem to know if he should keep trying to call but then Aizawa and Vlad King were running into the room and the students were straightening, ready to take action. 

“We’re grounded.” Vlad barely finished getting the words out before Shinso was trying to get past him. The 3-B teacher didn’t have to do anything because Aizawa grabbed the purple haired teen immediately and the third year hero students watched as Shinso tried to shove Aizawa off of him. 

“You can’t help.” Aizawa’s voice was calm as the teacher ducked as Shinso took the first swing. The older man grabbed the binding cloth around Shinso’s neck and pulled, forcing the teen to stumble to the ground but Shinso used the momentum to shove back and kick the teacher in his stomach. 

If Shinso thought the kick would give him the advantage then he was wrong because Aizawa’s hands were around his ankle and the older man was flipping the teen over before pinning him to the ground. Shinso growled as he tried to get off the ground but Aizawa’s elbow in his back kept him flat on the ground. “Stay down before I knock you out.”

“Aizawa-sensei, I need to find him.” Shinso’s voice was small and breathless. “You don’t know-”

“I know.” Aizawa released his hold on the lanky teen and grabbed Shinso by the back of the neck as he knelt down so he could look at the teen. And Aizawa did know, every time something happened to his students he could help but think of Loud Cloud. “I know, that’s why I sent LeMillion to go find him.”

“Mirio-senpai.” Shinso closed his eyes.

Mirio was technically still a student at UA, for all that he was out in the field instead of in class, but it was clear that Aizawa had found a loophole to ensure he could get more boots on the ground at the scene. 

Shinso appreciated it. He hated every second that he couldn’t be the one there and on site but he knew that his teacher was trying. 

Aizawa finally took a breath before glancing up to make sure that Vlad had the rest of the class under control. The teacher sighed. “We have to follow procedure. We’re not allowed to send in students unless the lead agency specifically asks for help.”

“Sensei . . .” Shinso seemed to be steeling himself. Aizawa didn’t know what the teen would ask for, there wasn’t much he could do for Shinso at the moment. “Will you keep me updated?”

Ah. 

So that’s what it was. 

The teen wanted to use Aizawa’s information network and not just settle for the news. The older man found himself nodding before he forced himself up to his feet and helped the teen off the ground. “I’ll do what I can.”

And Aizawa meant it. UA wasn’t going to lose another student this year. 

He wouldn’t let it happen. 

…  
…  
…

Takeda-sensei stared at the rare photo he had of both of him and Ukai and found himself smiling at it. He had been trying to clear out the last of his boxes out of Izuku’s room to give the teen more space but instead he found himself distracted by a box of some photos from last year. 

He sighed as he stared at the photo. He had been so hopeless last year when it had come to volleyball and when it had come to love. He had known instantly that Ukai was going to be a problem but his team had needed a coach and Takeda had wanted them to have some real guidance, even at the expense of his broken heart. 

Only. 

Only he and Ukai had crashed together and Takeda didn’t think he could untangle his life from the younger man’s. Didn’t think he wanted to. 

“Takeda-sensei, I’m home.” Izuku’s voice startled the teacher and the man sat up just in time for the teen to smile brightly at him with a bag of what had to be steamed buns from Ukai’s store. “Coach Ukai’s mom made extra and insisted that I bring them home to share with you.”

“That was kind of her.” The teacher smiled before he glanced down at the photo again. 

Ukai’s arms were around Takeda’s shoulder as they pressed against each other. They both were smiling brightly at the camera and Takeda wondered if they could be happy like this.

Could they be that happy for the rest of their lives?

“Sensei?” Takeda jumped as he felt Izuku’s hand on his shoulder. He blinked at the teen and Izuku seemed to hesitate for a moment before he sat at the table next to the teacher. “Sensei, are you okay? You’ve seemed really out of it the past few days.”

Takeda was about to brush it off and then he remembered the worried looks he had gotten from Ryu and Nishinoya during class when Takeda had forgotten what he was saying in the middle of the lesson. 

Maybe out of it was a nice way to put it. 

“Izuku . . .” Takeda started before he sighed. He couldn’t push his worries onto a teenager but at the same time, maybe he just needed someone to talk about it with. “Don’t worry about me. I just need to be a little braver, I think.”

Izuku blinked at that before the teen smiled. “I don’t know, I think you’re pretty brave in my book. You took a stranger off the beach and gave them space in your home.”

Takeda laughed at that. “That might be more stupid than brave.”

“True.” Izuku smiled, and it was bright in a way that it had only been after Eri had come back in the teen’s life. Izuku just shrugged. “Kacchan liked to say my bravest and stupidest moments tended to go hand in hand.”

And that was another thing that had changed about Izuku since Eri had come back in the teen’s life. He talked about his home more freely, about his family, about his friends, and about Kacchan. 

“In your world . . .” Takeda started and then paused as his face heated up, 

No. 

He shouldn’t go down that road, he was a grown man. He could figure out things on his own. He didn’t need to bother Izuku with this. 

Izuku seemed to stare at Takeda-sensei for a long moment as if waiting for the man to finish his thought and when it became clear that the older man wasn’t going to the teen just rubbed his unruly curly hair, glancing at the photo of Ukai that Takeda was still holding onto, before sighing with a small smirk. “I was wondering when you were going to ask me.”

Takeda was surprised by that. “Ask you what?” 

“Did it ever seem weird to you how I was never bothered about your relationship with coach Ukai?” Izuku honestly seemed curious. Takeda knew that the teen had seemed to take everything in stride as he had watched Ukai and the Karasuno players and it had left the teacher wondering. Izuku started rubbing his fingers together, a habit that clearly meant the teen was thinking of what to say. “In my world, sexuality is very fluid. We don’t really label it, relationships are just relationships and I first thought it was the same here but-”

“It’s not like that here.” Takeda wasn’t sure if he was ready to have this conversation but then, would he ever be ready?

“I’m pretty sure most of my friends are bisexual or maybe pan?” Izuku hummed as he thought of his old friends. “I honestly hadn’t given much thought about myself or relationships until now, but, it’s kind of too late to think about that.”

Takeda didn’t interrupt, knowing that Izuku was talking about his Kacchan. 

The teen had shown Takeda some of the videos and the teacher had seen how Izuku’s eyes would get glossy looking at his childhood friend . . . Takeda didn’t say anything but he hoped that if Izuku ever wanted to talk about his first love, the teen knew the teacher would be here for him. 

“My homeroom teacher, Aizawa-sensei, he was gay. I remember we all thought he had been dating the english teacher, Present Mic, but then Mirio and Eri happened.” Izuku laughed, clearly with some inside joke that only he could know making the teen smile. “He was the coolest hero I’ve ever met, and no one ever looked down on him for who he decided to love. If anything, I think we all respected Mirio-senpai a bit more.”

Takeda has seen photos of Aizawa-sensei and the Mirio-senpai. There had clearly been an age difference but the way Izuku talked of both the men, it made it clear that they were the real deal.

A pair.

A family. 

“You know that I lost my parents when I was a kid.” Takeda-sensei started, he took a breath as he remembered his time at the orphanage. “Mimi and Joe accepted me when I told them that I liked boys. They were so full of love and it seemed like such a small thing to them, raising a gay kid, I had started to think that maybe the world had changed and it was okay now.”

He had been wrong, of course. 

“In college I finally got my first boyfriend. A senpai a few years ahead of me but we had to keep it secret. School gossip, especially in college, could ruin careers before they even started. Eventually he left me to get married and start a family after he graduated.” Takeda had been heart broken but he had understood. 

What could come from a relationship with two men? 

If he had been capable of marrying a woman, he was sure he would have, but he also knew that he couldn’t do that to himself or whichever woman it might have been. He couldn’t hurt others like that. 

“There had been some dates, more hook-ups than anything-” Takeda blushed as he realized what he was saying but Izuku didn’t look judgmental. The teen was just listening and the teacher found himself clearing his throat. “I didn’t like being alone, and I was okay with whatever I could find.”

“What changed?” Izuku paused after he asked, as if unsure if he was allowed to ask such a question and Takeda sat back in his chair. 

“A student came out to me.” Takeda felt his test tighten as he remembered the small teen who had barely been able to look him in the eye. “I had been teaching and doing odd tutoring jobs to make ends meet in the city and this kid’s grades had only continued to decline. His parents were desperate for him to graduate and go to a good school so I had taken him out on a field trip to the beach. The water always calmed me down, so I had thought it might work for him and it did. He had taken one look at the waves and confessed everything to me. He was gay, he liked boys, and he was afraid that people would find out.”

Takeda stopped there just for a moment before he closed his eyes. “I told him that I was gay too, and that it would be okay. His parents clearly cared for him and I encouraged him to come out to them. After all, Mimi and Joe had been so accepting of a kid that wasn’t their own blood, surely his parents would love him just the same. And taking the pressure of being afraid of what his parents might say would mean that he could focus on his studies more.”

Because parents are meant to love their children. 

Takeda hadn’t wanted to see reality. 

“His parents kicked him out of the house.” Takeda remembered getting a frantic call from the teen. “His dad beat him while his mom called him terrible names, they disowned him and kicked him out of the house.”

It had been terrible. 

Takeda had picked up his student and taken him to the hospital, paying for everything before bringing the kid to his apartment. He’d had a boyfriend at the time who had been understanding of the kid’s situation and they had put the kid up in their living room. Then Takeda’s boyfriend had berated the teacher for being so naive to the world, Takeda should have known better. 

And he should have. 

He had been the adult in the situation. He should have seen the world for what it was, really thought about why he still kept his relationships secret but instead he had been blinded by the hopeful idea of a future where that wasn’t needed. 

“The parents called the tutoring agency I was working for to get me fired. They tried to imply things and I quit the agency. Everyone knew it wasn’t true, but we all wanted to avoid a scandal. Instead, I focused on finishing my other jobs. I was going to help the kid finish high school, it was the least that I could do but . . .” Takeda swallowed. 

Even when he had tried to take responsibility for his actions, it hadn’t mattered. He had thought the kid would be okay, after all, Takeda had lost his parents and been able to move on. 

But there was a difference between losing your parents because they died in a tragic accident, and losing your parents because they denied your existence. 

Takeda had been so young then. 

“When I was in class one day, the kid went back to his parents home and hung himself in his room.” Takeda hadn’t realized he was shaking until he felt Izuku’s hand on his own. The older man took a deep breath and tried to wipe the tears rolling down his face. 

He had been so ashamed. 

He had only wanted to help the kid find some confidence in himself and instead Takeda had led him down a path of no return. 

“I had been thinking about returning to Karasuno for some time and I used that as an excuse to leave the city and come back here. I ran away and I swore to keep all of this locked away. I ruined the life of a young kid, what right did I have to try for my own happiness?” Takeda knew he looked pathetic. 

He was pathetic. 

“What happened to that student wasn’t your fault.” Izuku tried but Takeda shook his head. It was his fault, if hadn’t encouraged the kid to come out to his parents then maybe the kid would have had bad grades . . . but he would have still been alive. 

“I never wanted to be open about my relationships again but then there was the Karasuno volleyball team. There was Nishinoya, a student so open about who was that no one could look down on him for it.” Takeda wiped his face as he glanced at the photos that were on the table. “Then there was Keishin.”

Coach Ukai was never meant to happen. Keishin was straight and had a reputation for being straight and a bit thoughtless in his relationships. 

“And now Keishin wants to come out to his parents and all I can think about-” Takeda covered his eyes. 

Ukai’s family was a tight knit group. It was clear how much they loved each other and Takeda couldn’t be the one to ruin that. 

Takeda couldn’t break another family. 

“Have you . . . ever told coach Ukai about this?” Izuku’s voice was soft and it got Takeda’s attention as he looked at the teen. Izuku seemed to hesitate for a moment before he held Takeda’s hand a little tighter. “Coach Ukai isn’t a kid, and he’s not your student.”

“I know.” Takeda did know that. “But he’s young and reckless and he-”

“He loves you, sensei.” Izuku’s cheeks were a little pink at that. “You should tell coach Ukai about this and hear what he has to say.”

But what if Keishin realized this was all a mistake? 

What if he left Takeda?

“I think you should have a bit more faith in yourself, and in coach Ukai.” Izuku’s grip on his hand was firm. “No matter what happens, I’ll still be here for you, sensei.”

And if Takeda cried a little more at those words, Izuku was nice enough to not say anything. Instead the teen got some tissues, and they ate dumplings together before Izuku suggested that they get Saeko and Ryu over later. Takeda knew the guilt inside him wasn’t going to go away but he appreciated that Izuku was not-so-subtly pointing out that Takeda still had a family that cared about him. 

A small family, but it was his. 

…  
…  
...

Monoma’s first thought as his mind slowly wakes up is that his head is killing him. His brain felt like it was trying to escape his skull, and he could feel something warm and wet moving down the side of his face and he sincerely hoped he wasn’t actually losing brain matter. 

His mind was one of his best features.

“You were supposed to grab Booster, what happened?” A masculine voice interrupted his thoughts and Monoma forced himself to stay still as he tried to get his bearings. 

“The kid got in the way, he was all I could grab before the fire happened.” Another voice, this one sounded pissed. 

“I said I was sorry!” A female voice laughed, clearly not sorry at all. “You know some quirks are harder to control than others.”

Monoma tried to put together the last moments he remembered before waking up in what had to be some sort of lair. He had been leading the charge with Booster on the sting, something he had worked hard to be allowed to do and now Monoma was wondering if Booster would ever let him be first through the door again. There had been an explosion of some kind and Monoma had remembered seeing blue fire before he had shoved the pro hero back. Monoma had tried to jump away as well but something had grabbed his ankle before his world had gone black. 

The teen wondered if he should be worrying more about his safety than anything else. 

“I think he’s awake. Go talk to him.” The pissed voice growled before there was stomping and Monoma didn’t bother to keep his eyes closed as he was shoved over to stare into the eyes of Toga Himiko. 

Well, fuck. 

“Well, fuck.” Monoma smirked even though he was concerned with how muddy the vision in one of his eyes was. “I think someone gave me the wrong directions, do you mind untying me and pointing me towards the nearest hospital?”

Toga smiled at that before she knelt down so that she was kneeling over his stomach as she stared down at him. There was a light in her eyes that made Monoma feel queasy but the teen wasn’t going to act scared. 

The League of Villains were definitely out of his skillset but that didn’t mean he would give them the satisfaction of knowing that. 

“I like you.” Toga purred as she tapped her knife against Monoma’s cheek. 

“I’m taken.” Monoma flinched as the knife cut his cheek but stayed still as the girl gave it a look before smiling brightly at him. He did not like that look. “The LOV must have fallen a few rungs to miss out on getting a pro-hero and getting his student instead.”

She nicked his cheek again and the teen clenched his jaw. He wiggled his fingers even though they were tied behind his back as he wondered if he could steal her quirk to get out. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to take her particular quirk but he might be able to take someone else’s that was in the room. 

He definitely needed to get out of here. 

“I’m not going to be of much use to you, whatever your plan is.” Monoma tried a different route. “Might as well just let me go.”

“Just kill him!” A voice from the back shouted and Monoma hoped whoever it was died in a tragic and painful way. 

“No need for bloodshed.” Monoma tried to laugh before he felt a sharp pain in his side and stared wide-eyed at Toga who was smiling down at him. Her knife was in his side and she was just smiling at him. 

“Actually, there is always a need for a bit of bloodshed.” The girl laughed before she knelt down to kiss his cheek even as Monoma tried to move away from her. “Shh, shh. It’ll be over soon. UA has the best kids, I’ll only take what I need.”

Monoma started to feel light headed as the world faded around him once again. He sincerely hoped that whatever amount of blood she needed, he would be able to live off the rest. 

...  
...  
…

“Are you sure you don’t want to move in with us?” Lev stared at Deku from the other side of the couch. 

Deku was spending a weekend with Eri, something Ukai had encouraged when the coach had finally had a long talk with Takeda-sensei and it was clear the two older men wanted to have a weekend together to actually talk things out. Eri was cooking in the kitchen with her daughter, Eri explaining the science of why certain ingredients worked well together and why some didn’t while her daughter teased the older woman for making cooking a science lesson. 

There was no heat, it was clear that Alisa and Eri got along well and it made Deku miss his mom. 

Was anyone taking care of his mom while he was gone?

Had his dad come back to stay with her?

Was Kaachan berating her cooking skills as he took over her kitchen?

“Oi, Deku.” Lev startled Deku and it made the teen look over. He blinked before he smiled at the tall Nekomata player. Eri’s family were the only ones who called him Deku . . . it was weird, but it was also nice. Like he had found a small part of himself he had thought he had lost. 

“Sorry, Lev. I was lost in thought. What did you say?” Deku rubbed the back of his head while the taller teen rolled his eyes. 

“You should live with us.” Lev looked so excited by the idea. “Mom can adopt you and you can stay with us!”

Deku flushed a bit at how excited Lev was at the idea but he shook his head. He had already discussed it with Eri and Deku wasn’t going to live with her. “I’m already eighteen, there is no need for her to adopt me when I can already do so much on my own.”

“But-” Lev started and Deku cut him off with a smile. 

“I’m grateful for Eri, and I’m so happy that she has such an amazing family. I still want to be part of it but . . . I need to figure things out on my own. I still need time to adjust.” Deku wanted to laugh as Lev pouted at him and honestly, the teen felt embarrassed whenever he was around Lev due to Lev’s declaration that Deku had been his favorite hero growing up. 

Apparently Lev didn’t mind that Deku was near his age and hadn’t done any hero work since coming to this world, Lev still thought Deku was the coolest. 

“Lyovochka, Deku-san, food is ready!” Alisa smiled as she walked into the living room. Deku could see so much of Eri in the young woman and couldn’t help but blush. “Papa will be back tonight, so we should all try to stay up and surprise him!”

Luka had been an interesting person to meet. The man had just stared in shock at Deku when they had finally met and then they eventually bonded over the pictures Deku had of little Eri. Luka was still hopelessly in love with Eri and it made Deku feel warm at the thought of Eri finding her happiness in this world. 

Deku wasn’t sure if Aizawa would approve, his sensei was very protective of Eri, but the teen knew that Mirio would have loved Luka. 

“I want to get pictures of all of you.” Deku smiled as he sat at the table next to Lev. 

“Sure, cool, but can you tell me about-” Lev started and Alisa just sighed as Eri laughed. 

“Lyovochka, let Deku-san eat some food first.” Alisa clearly was just giving her brother a hard time and Deku laughed. 

“I don’t mind!” Deku liked talking about his world, he still missed it. “What did you want to hear about?”

Lev smiled brightly. “Can you tell us about the time you took out the shadow villain?” 

Deku blinked before flushing as he remembered how he hadn’t done much during that ordeal. If it hadn’t been for Kacchan, Monoma, and a surprising amount of lube (provided by Monoma), things might have ended differently. 

“Well . . .” Deku took a bit of the food as he thought about how to word this story. 

…  
…  
…

Bakugo closed his eyes as he sat on the floor in the living room. The Endeavor agency had been called in to help clear the smoke after the Hotel N incident but then all the UA students had been sent back to school to do a roll call. It had officially been 24 hours since Monoma had been taken by an unknown villain, the bad guys that Booster had been after had been caught by Mirko and interrogated but even they seemed to have no idea how it had gone wrong. 

Booster was still in surgery from nearly being crushed by a hotel falling on him but it looked like the Pro Hero was going to pull through and then the Endeavor agency would have a lead. 

Not that Bakugo would be able to be part of it. 

He hadn’t even been allowed to continue his side mission with Hawks, not without a UA chaperone and all the teachers were stretched too thin at the moment trying to keep everyone calm. 

A missing student was a media nightmare, officially the second one to go missing this school year. 

And if Monoma showed up dead?

Bakugo didn’t want to think about it. He hated the blond bastard but he also respected the jackass. Monoma knew just want to say to get under Bakugo’s skin but the teen knew that when it really mattered, they actually made a pretty great team. 

“Shinso, you need to sleep.” Bakugo glanced up from his spot on the ground to see Uraraka and Kirishima walking after Shinso who somehow looked even worse than his normal state. Bakugo figured Uraraka just liked getting in everyone’s business, but maybe it was because she was currently interning at the same agency with Shinso, even if she was with Kamui Woods and Shinso was with Edgeshot. 

Seeing Kirishima surprised him. 

Red Riot had shown up to the dorms a bit bruised and exhausted and Bakugo had all but shoved his friend into bed to make sure the red head didn’t push it but it looked like Kirishima was already back to it after some rest. 

“Shinso, bro, you need to rest. You need to be ready to help if they need it.” Kirishima was blocking Shinso’s path to the door and it caused the teen to growl as he turned only to pause as he made eye contact with Bakugo. Uraraka and Kirishima both seemed surprised to see Bakugo and Kirishima tried to get the teen to help them. “Baku-bro, don’t you think-”

“How do you do it?” Shinso grabbed the back of the chair that was in front of Bakugo and glared down at the blond. Bakugo just glared right back. “How can you even breathe knowing that Deku is out there and there is nothing that you can do about it?”

“Shinso, don’t-” Uraraka’s eyes were wide but Bakugo didn’t let her finish as he huffed. 

“It’s not the same.” Bakugo rubbed his eyes, glancing down at the report he was supposed to be writing for one of the classes he missed before he threw his pen down and turned to give Shinso his full attention as the purple haired teen scoffed at him.

“Isn’t it?” Shinso’s voice was small as he glared at Bakugo. “Or maybe your love is different from mine.”

Bakugo felt his gut tighten at the words and had to flex his fingers to keep himself from lashing out. He did know how Shinso felt, or at least he could sympathize, but Bakugo also knew that sympathy was the last thing Shinso needed right now. Luckily, Kirishima was right here and the redhead grabbed Shinso's arm and forced the teen to break eye contact. “That was uncalled for, man.”

“Shinso, Monoma going missing is separate from Deku. You know that.” Uraraka was looking at Bakugo as she said that before she turned to the lanky teen. “We’re all worried about Monoma, but we’re not allowed to do anything right now.”

“You shouldn’t take this out on Bakugo.” Kirishima sighed and Shinso just frowned before turning to look at Bakugo. 

“I just want to know how he does it.” Shinso sounded wrecked as he ran his hands through his hair. There must have been something about this action that was familiar to Uraraka because the burnette was suddenly pulling Shinso to the chair and forcing the teen to sit. Shinso just let out a noise of frustration before he made eye contact with Bakugo. “How can you keep going when you know you’re never going to see Deku again?! It has even been a day and I can’t even-”

“Fuck you.” Bakugo couldn’t hold back the growl in his voice as he found himself getting up to grab Shinso’s shirt to drag the teen up so that they were face to face. “If you don’t have enough faith in your goddamn boyfriend to last even a day then you’ll never understand how I-”

Bakugo felt Kirishima’s hand on his arm and had to take a deep breath. He hadn’t handled Deku’s disappearance well, and Bakugo had no idea how he would have handled it if he hadn’t been in a coma those first days. 

“Stop being fatalistic and believe in Monoma.” Bakugo released Shinso then and watched as the teen seemed to curl into himself on the chair. 

“You know the numbers. You know the longer he’s gone the-”

“Fuck statistics. Fuck whatever the news is saying. All that matters right now is if you believe Monoma will come back or not.” Bakugo clenched his fists, not wanting to think about the looming memorial that was still being planned for Deku. 

Deku wasn’t gone. 

He wasn’t. 

“Do you honestly think Deku is still alive?” Shinso's voice was so soft that Bakugo could have ignored it but the blond found himself answering anyway. 

“Yes.” Because Deku was alive and Bakugo was going to get him back. 

Shinso went silent at that and Bakugo reached down to grab the homework before he paused to see Uraraka and Kirishima looking at him. They both seemed to have just realized something and Bakugo didn’t bother to give them a second glance as he made his way to the elevators. 

He was tired. 

He would do the homework tomorrow. 

“Bakugo!” Uraraka’s small fingers grabbed his wrist and Bakugo turned to see her staring at him intently. 

“What? Don’t you see that I need-”

“Are you still looking for Deku?” Uraraka’s voice didn’t falter Deku’s name like it used to and that was the only reason Bakugo didn’t break eye contact as he stared her down. 

He wasn’t going to lie but he wasn’t going to answer her either. Instead he pulled his wrist out of her grip and got into the elevators, only taking a breath once the doors shut and starting taking him to his room. 

...  
...  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -friends hurting friends without realizing it  
> -homophobia referenced  
> -suicide referenced  
> -feelings and emotions  
> -canon type violence
> 
> In case you skipped the Takeda scene: Takeda-sensei in college encouraged a student to come out and the student was rejected by his parents and took his life. This is why Takeda is scared about Ukai coming out to his family. Izuku encourages Takeda to talk to Ukai. 
> 
> Please leave a review if you would like!


	13. To sweep me off my feet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was beeping and Hawks got to his feet immediately as he ran over to the door. Endeavor was barely through it before Hawks was in the older man’s space, baring his teeth as he kept his voice low. “You need me out there, you know I can help you.”
> 
> Endeavor sighed as he shook his head. “No.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:   
> The MHA manga gets further and further from the canon I built here but that's okay because the manga is awesome. That said, I'll still do my best to stick to canon where I am able as long as it doesn't force me to rewrite any of the previous chapters. 
> 
> Author’s Note:   
> Sorry for the delay! I had been hoping to get more written over my holiday break but I kind of fell off the wagon and then it took some time to climb back on. That said, I'm back in full force and already working on the next chapter! 
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

Hawks stared at the tv as he bit his thumb. 

Booster has woken up after his surgery and while the hero was in recovery the Endeavor Agency had taken over the search for the terrorists and the missing UA student. No one had taken credit for the explosion but Hawks knew it was the League of Villains. 

He needed to get out there. 

Phantom Thief, or Monoma-bastard if Bakugo was the one talking, had been missing for 48 hours and UA was officially on lock down. This meant that Bakugo was also forbidden from leaving school grounds and thus froze Hawks' next steps when it came to bringing Deku back. Burnin had volunteered to still help out so that things weren’t put at a complete stop but there wasn’t much Hawks could do without Bakugo. 

The ex-pro needed to keep things moving and the only way he was going to be able to do that was if he found the missing UA kid but Endeavor was keeping Hawks under house arrest. 

The blond needed to get out there. 

There was beeping and Hawks got to his feet immediately as he ran over to the door. Endeavor was barely through it before Hawks was in the older man’s space, baring his teeth as he kept his voice low. “You need me out there, you know I can help you.”

Endeavor sighed as he shook his head. “No.”

“Why? This is exactly the type of media coverage you were looking for. I can be out there, helping you while the news plasters my face over the television. That was your plan, remember?” Hawks grabbed Enji’s wrist, not letting the older man go by him before he was suddenly surrounded by the older man. Hawks’ head bumped against the wall as the blond glanced up at the older man who was frowning down at him. 

“I know why you want to be out there and that is why I’m not letting you join the search.” Endeavor’s voice was soft in a way that had Hawks on edge. Why was the older man talking to Hawks like he had been a victim in the attack. Hawks opens his mouth to point out again how he can be helpful when suddenly Endeavor was in his space. “It’s not Dabi, Hawks.”

Hawks felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over him as he stared at the older man. Of course it wasn't Dabi, Dabi was dead, but Hawks wasn’t supposed to know this. The blond clenched his jaw, “Endeavor-san, what are you-”

“Hawks, you saw the same blue flames that I did.” Endeavor’s hand pressed against the wall, as if the older man had just realized how much he was leaning into Hawks’ space and needed something to hold himself up. “I know what he did to you Hawks, I know that Dabi was the one that-”

Endeavor’s frown only deepened and Hawks found himself reaching out and grabbed the older man’s shirt and twisting it. He could see the Endeavor costume under the collar, something that would normally have him teasing the older man but now all he could do was feel a strange sense of urgency to change the conversation. “You don’t know what you’re saying.” 

“Hawks, Dabi is dead.” Endeavor’s voice didn’t falter as he spoke the words and Hawks wondered how many times the older man had practiced saying them out loud. 

The words felt heavy. 

Too heavy. 

“You think I’m after revenge?” The words tumbled out of his mouth as he had the realization. His golden eyes taking in Endeavor’s serious face and the blond wanted to laugh but he was having a hard time breathing as Endeavor continued to study him. 

Endeavor thought that he was after Dabi. Endeavor didn’t know that Hawks knew Dabi was dead and was telling the ex-pro to try and keep Hawks at bay. 

Endeavor thought Hawks wanted revenge and was trying to hold the blond back. Endeavor thought Hawks was capable of revenge. 

Maybe the older man knew the blonde hero better than he realized. 

“I know that Dabi is dead.” Hawks was proud that his voice didn’t falter. Endeavor’s eyes widened only a fraction and Hawks powered through. “I know a lot more than you realize, Endeavor-san. That is why I want to be out there. It’s clear that this is the League of Villains, even you must know that, and you should be using me to lure them out.”

Endeavor was quiet, still staring at Hawks for a moment before he shook his head. “There are too many moving parts right now. My answer is still no.”

“You can’t keep me here and you know it.” Hawks could leave at any time, he had only stayed because he had thought it would be more beneficial to have Endeavor close by but if the man was getting in his way then . . . Hawks fist tightened on Enji’s shirt. 

He had wanted to work together. 

Hawks had wanted to see this through with Endeavor before disappearing again. 

“Endeavor-san, we need to work together.” Hawks smiled a bit, trying a different approach. He didn’t want to end things on bad terms and he still needed to keep an eye on Endeavor and Mirko when it came to the HPSC issue. “Let me help you. I might not be a hero anymore but you know that I can still get things done. I know the LOV better than anyone else and that’s why-”

Hawks went silent as Endeavor’s hand slid from the wall and gripped the younger man’s shoulder. Hawks released his grip on Endeavor’s shirt, almost as if having two points of contact with the older man was too much and the shorter man stared up at Endeavor, finally taking in what he was seeing. 

Endeavor was exhausted. There were bags under the older man’s eyes and Hawks finally took in how the older man was standing. 

Endeavor was barely staying upright and the older man was still saying he didn’t need Hawks help. 

“When was the last time you slept?” Hawks sighed, feeling a little of the fight leave his body before he shivered when Endeavor’s thumb brushed his neck. “When was the last time you ate something?”

“I don’t remember.” Endeavor’s voice was rough, as if he had tried to keep the volume low but it ended up just coming out like gravel instead. The older man took a deep breath before he let go of Hawks and turned to make his way to the kitchen. “Burnin is leading the investigation for the next six hours so that I can rest. Once that’s over, I’ll relieve her and get permission from UA for them to release Bakugo from school grounds again.”

“So you won’t let me join this but you’ll let me continue searching for Deku?” Hawks ran his hands through his hair before he rolled his eyes. This didn’t settle things between them, not by a long shot, but Hawks wasn’t going to turn down this compromise. “I’ll text Bakugo-chan so that he’s ready.”

Endeavor just nodded before disappearing into his bedroom. Hawks waited for a few moments before realizing there was a chance the man would just sleep the entire six hours. The blond grabbed his phone to text Bakugo as he made his way to the kitchen to wip up some quick food that Enji could eat when he left in the morning. 

If the old man didn’t like Hawks cooking then the blond would really leave this time. He wasn’t Endeavor’s wife, no matter how much he had fantasized about the scenario a few years ago. 

Bakugo’s text back was as colorful as Bakugo’s normal language and it made Hawks smirk before the blond shook his head. 

It would only be a matter of time before everything came out. Hawks couldn’t keep all his secrets from Endeavor, not if he wanted to get closer from the older man, but the younger man was willing to put it off a bit longer. If Endeavor wanted him to have space from the LOV? Fine, Hawks could work with that. 

Getting Deku back had always been the main priority anyway. 

…  
…  
…

“Sensei, your eyes are puffy.” Ukai laughed, feeling buzzed from their celebration after Karasuno had once again won their ticket to the Spring Inter-High, representing Miyagi. They had dropped off the students at their homes before parking the bus at the school and now the older men were walking down the hill to the Ukai family store. Takeda was laughing as he leaned into Ukai’s side and it made the coach rub his thumb under one of Takeda’s eyes. “I know you’re happy but do you have to cry so much?”

“But I’m soooo happy.” Takeda slurred a little and Ukai couldn’t even hide his smile as his boyfriend snuggled closer to him as they walked side by side. It was late and there wouldn’t be any cars on the road so they didn’t bother to hide the fact that they were holding hands. 

Things were good. 

They were good. 

Karasuno was going to the Spring Inter-High for the second year in a row and that was great but Ukai couldn’t help but feel like the true victory was his and Takeda’s relationship. They had finally talked, really talked and it finally felt like both men were on the same page. 

“I love you.” Ukai murmured, feeling a little embarrassed about saying it out in the open before he kissed the side of sensei’s face. “You make me happy.”

“And I love youuu.” Takeda giggled a bit and Ukai rolled his eyes. 

“Okay you drunk. Let’s grab you some drinks from the store and then I’m walking you home.” Ukai chuckled as he slipped his hand under sensei’s shirt. “You’re so warm.”

“C-cold.” Sensei squirmed and Ukai just chuckled as he pulled the man into a kiss. 

Things were good. 

Which is why Ukai should have been prepared to see his mother’s stunned face when he glanced inside the store. The coach paused but that didn’t slow sensei down as the older man kissed the side of Ukai’s neck with a giggle. “Sensei . . .”

“Shhhh, just really quick.” Sensei’s lips sucked on his neck and if it wasn’t for the fact that Ukai’s mom was currently staring at the both of them as if they were ghosts who had jumped out to startle her. Ukai pulled the older man away, trying to think of what to say but it didn’t matter because Sensei was looking at where Ukai was looking with confusion. “What? Why are you-”

This hadn’t been how Ukai had been planning to tell his parents but he figured it was better to get it over with. 

Judging by how pale, and suddenly sober, sensei was . . . Ukai had a feeling the sensei disagreed. 

…  
...  
…

Monoma’s body felt numb. It had taken him longer to wake up than he had wanted, no matter how hard he tried the room felt like it was spinning. He tried to count down in his head how long it was taking the rest of his body to wake up. A minute to move a finger, nearly five before he was able to twitch his arm. 

He turned his head, and could make out tubes hooked to his side. One was clearly an IV and the other looked like a blood line . . . was Toga still draining him or had she taken too much and they were trying to give it back? 

Monoma didn’t want to wait and find out. 

It took him nearly half an hour to disconnect from the tubes and by the time he did he was able to move a little freer. Monoma made a mental note to inform the authorities that Toga might be using a tranquilizer to slow her victims down, or at least he needed to call out that someone on the LOV had medical experience. 

It wasn’t the old doctor, that man had died in prison when his quirk had suddenly stopped working. 

“Fuck.” Monoma stumbled against the bed he had been laying in. It looked like he was in a morgue and Monoma did not like to think of the reasons why the LOV now had a morgue. The blond was sweating profusely by the time made it to the door and he had been surprised that no one had checked in on him since it had taken him nearly an hour to get his feet to move. 

How long had he been out?

Did they already think he was dead? 

The teen nearly puked as the room spun around him and only ended up dry heaving. He had nothing to puke and that was working in his favor as he placed his hand on the cold metal door. 

He needed to get out or at least find a new location to hide. 

Monoma leaned against the door frame for support as he slowly pushed the door open to reveal a dark hallway. There was minimal light in the morgue but it seemed like the hall was nearly pitch black. The teen closed his eyes as he released his breath before he opened them again and made his way out into the hall. He kept his steps small, in case there was something on the ground he couldn’t see, and he kept his hand on the wall for support. 

He could do this. 

The hall was silent to the point where Monoma could only hear his own breathing, which he tried to keep slow. There was a blinking light coming from one end of the hall so Monoma chose to walk towards it, wondering if it was some sort of exit or security sign. If it was an exit, he would have to make his move. If it was some sort of security sensor then he would do his best to set it off and hope that it was loud enough to bring the authorities to wherever he was located. 

When he got back he was going to make Kendo cook him her famous mochi. Her mochi was actually terrible, the only thing that Kendo knew how to make was coffee, but he knew if he asked her she would try to make him mochi and then he could spend the next few days complaining about how the LOV didn’t kill him but her lack of skills in the kitchen would. 

Monoma took a deep breath and paused against the wall. He was sweating from the strain and the blond was beginning to wonder if there was something else wrong with his body. 

He could make it. 

He had to make it. 

When he was cleared by Recovery Girl, he was going to get Shinso to fuck his brains out. They would need to take a week off of classes just so Monoma could get some quality time with his boyfriend. It would be an odd request but Monoma knew that the more graphic he made it the more likely Vlad-sensei would just approve it to get Monoma to leave him alone. 

Monoma honestly thought he was going to pass out by the time he made it to the blinking light. He reached out and was surprised to see the light he was seeing wasn’t actually at the end of the hall but was through a window in the door that was now in front of him. He fumbled as he felt for a handle and nearly slipped when he overbalanced against the door but managed to catch his footing only for the door to be yanked away from him causing him to land face first on the ground. 

There were black boots in front of him but Monoma didn’t recognize them. The feet were too large to be Toga’s but he needed to take a few gasping breaths before he could force himself to look up to see who had found him. 

He flinched when pale fingers reached over to brush his hair out of his face and as the room came more into focus Monoma suddenly wished he had stayed on the table. The bored expression of Shigaraki stared down at him before the white haired man sighed. “I thought I told Toga to get rid of you.”

Monoma coughed, the dirt from the floor had filled his mouth as he had tried to catch his breath but he still forced himself to smile. “She’s probably just looking for the right home to send me back to. Don’t want to have me show up back on your doorstep just because the new owners couldn’t handle the responsibility.”

Shigaraki didn’t react, just stared down as his fingers continued to graze Monoma’s hair. 

Fuck. 

…  
…  
...

Deku watched as Ukai continued to stare towards the stairs as if he was waiting for someone to come down. The teen knew about what had happened and had honestly been surprised that the whole town didn’t seem to know-- the way Takeda-sensei had been freaking out when both men had shown up after dropping off the bus at the school. 

Deku wondered if Ukai was waiting for his mom to start the conversation or if the older man was trying to work up the courage himself when the door chimed and the teen turned to smile at the visitor only to freeze as he realized it was Ukai’s grandpa. “Good morning, Ukai-san!”

“Can it and go outside with the rest of the children. I need to talk to my grandson.” The older Ukai didn’t leave room for argument and Deku didn’t bother to try and stay as he made his way outside to see the whole Karasuno team seemingly lost at what to do. 

“What happened to practice?” Deku ran over to Ryu and Ennoshita who were trying to keep the team in two lines. “What’s going on?”

“Coach Ukai . . . uh, old Coach Ukai is making us run to his farm and then we have to help collect some of the harvest. Not really sure what is happening but he basically glared at sensei until he got permission to take us.” Ryu rubbed the top of his head before glaring at the back of the line. “Takaya, Ren has to run by himself. You can’t carry him 10 miles.”

“Ten miles?” Deku noticed that some of the players looked queasy at that. He glanced at the shop before sighing and taking off his apron and hanging it near the door where the younger Ukai could see it. “Maybe I should run with you?”

“You really don’t have-” Ennoshita started but then the door to the shop opened and the older Ukai stomped out. 

“Now that he’s taken care of, are you boys ready?” The older man paused for a bit before looking at Deku. “You have the rest of the day off, kid.”

“I was thinking about joining the run.” Deku laughed as the other players looked at him with horror. Only Hinata and Nishinoya seemed to be energized by having a running partner. Deku paused a bit as he realized he might be over stepping, he hadn’t spent a lot of time with the older man. “If that is okay, sir?”

“Ha!” The older man laughed a bit before he shook his head. “You’re the kid living with Takeda-chan, right?” 

“Yes.” Deku made sure he had his cell in his pocket and glanced back at the store. He could see Coach Ukai pacing now on the floor as if waiting for something and the teen decided that he could come get his bag later. Or tomorrow. 

“Keishin complained about you.” The old man shrugged. “You seem alright to me. If you want to join then join, if not then go home. This goes for everyone else in line. I’m not forcing you to run so if you don’t want to then head back to your precious beds.”

There was a moment where it actually looked like Tsukishima was about to walk off but then Yamaguchi was pulling his friend back in line with a laugh. 

There were no other pleasantries as the older Ukai got on his bike and started pedaling, the rest of the Karasuno volleyball team following after him on foot. 

“Don’t worry about coach.” Ryu was smirking as he settled next to Deku. “His grandpa came to make Ukai and Take-chan talk to Ukai’s parents. Apparently something happened and Ukai hadn’t gone home for a few days?”

“You could say that.” Deku knew the details but he didn’t want to share them. 

“Take-chan ran home to put on a suit, or at least that was what he was mumbling about when he left. I think it’ll be fine.” Ryu just shrugged with a smile and Deku smiled back. 

It would be fine. 

Maybe. 

Hopefully.

…  
...  
…

Burnin liked a lot of things. 

She was just that type of person. She liked people, all types of people, and tended to thrive in just as much in chaos as she did in quieter times. It’s why she was a good fit for the Endeavor agency. It was how she could be friends with people like Mirko and Manual at the same time. 

She wasn’t sure about Hawks. 

Mirko loved the blond, that much was clear, but the more Burnin saw Hawks the more she felt on edge. She wasn’t afraid of him, per se, but she didn’t like how the ex-pro seemed to have so much influence over her boss. 

Endeavor was the number one hero. He was flawed, he had made mistakes, but he worked hard and genuinely cared. Burnin herself had seen how the man had slowly changed over the years and while at one point she could admit that he had scared her . . . the man he was now was someone she wanted to support all the way to the end. Endeavor was never going to be All Might but Burnin was going to work hard to make sure that people could see just how amazing her boss was. 

He was her hero. 

And Hawks was making Endeavor do things that were out of character. 

Like convincing UA to let Bakugo out of school grounds even though a student was still missing. When he had told her to accompany both Hawks and Bakugo she had been surprised but had agreed to do so. If Endeavor wanted Hawks out of the city then Burnin would make sure that both Hawks and Bakugo were safe on their secret mission to bring Deku back. 

“Hey fucker, why did you take us to this small town?” Bakugo’s voice carried back and Burnin tried not to laugh at the face Hawks was giving the teen. 

Bakugo was a shit to everyone. It’s one of the reasons Burnin liked him. 

“I know you don’t want to call me Hawks but I already gave you other options.” Hawks’ shoulders seem to slump as if the blond man was already exhausted and Burnin did laugh then causing the blonde to turn and glare at her. “Laugh it up, Moe-chan.”

“Keigo is a stupid-ass name. I prefer to call you fucker.” Bakugo sighed before he stomped his foot. “Why the fuck are we here?”

Burnin had to admit that it was a small town. They had already passed an elementary school and it looked like they were making their way down to the town’s main street. Even in civilian clothes, people would have at her and she made sure to smile back. A few people tried to wave at Bakugo but when he ignored them they gave up and decided to leave the hero trainee alone.   
If anyone recognized Hawks they kept it to themselves but Burnin still made sure to keep an eye on the crowd, just in case. 

“We’re here to give you something that you desperately need and there is only one person who can do it.” Hawks yawned, clearly acting like he was in a state of pure relaxation that Burnin didn’t buy for one second. 

Bakugo huffed. “What is that?”

“Proof.” Hawks stopped so that they were standing outside of a small coffee stop with a bright smile. “Proof that Deku is still alive.”

Bakugo seemed to freeze even as Hawks walked inside and Burnin put her hand on the teen’s shoulder to keep him moving. She didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything, but she hoped that things turned out how Hawks seemed to think they would. If the news ended up being bad news then Burnin didn’t think she would be able to hold Bakugo back from blowing up in Hawks face. 

“Reimena-chan!” 

“You again?” 

If Burnin had any expectations for the day, they did not include seeing Hawks terrorize an elementary school student who seemed both smitten and frustrated with the older blonde. The older woman behind the counter chuckled and Brunin took it as permission for all of them to walk over to the girls table where she was coloring a superhero coloring book . . . with crayons. 

“Hawks-” Burnin didn’t feel comfortable getting a little girl involved. She was just a child. 

“Keep it to a simmer, Burnin.” Hawks smiled brightly at her before he shoved Bakugo into the seat across from the little girl and proceeded to press down on Bakugo’s shoulders to keep the blond seated. “Reimena-chan, I need you to do your thing for my friend here.” 

“Wait.” Bakugo hit Hawks hands making the older man jump back and the teen turn his attention to the little girl. “What do you do and why does he trust you?”

“Hey-” Hawks started but Burnin forced him into the next chair over so that the blond couldn’t bother Bakugo or the girl anymore. 

“You brought us here, let him ask questions.” Burnin glanced at the menu before smiling. “You boys want something to drink? I certainly could use a coffee right now.”

She didn’t bother to wait for their response and made her way over to the counter to order drinks for all of them. She kept her eye on her charges and kept her ear on the conversation. 

This was definitely something she would bring up to Endeavor. 

“I already explained it to the old man but I guess he didn’t tell you. Hold out your hands like this and think about ten people.” The girl spread out her hands with a huff. Hawks squawked at the ‘old man’ comment but clearly the girl didn’t care. “I see the threads that connect people and can tell you little details about your relationships and things like that.”

Bakugo frowned for a moment before he eyed the girl. “This doesn’t work on dead people?”

“Why would you want to know about a relationship with a dead person?” The girl sighed. “No, if they’re dead then their string won’t pop up. Now do you want to do this or can I get back to coloring?”

“Depends.” Bakugo smirked. “Which hero are you coloring?”

Reimena pursed her lips at that, clearly sensing a test, before she opened her notebook to reveal a half-way finished coloring job of Best Jeanist. “He’s the coolest. My mom has a crush on him and we watch all his videos when they go up online.’

“What? Boo!” Hawks was over Bakugo’s shoulders again. “Everyone knows Endeavor-san is the best Hero!”

“Nuh-uh!” Reimena closed her book as she glared at Hawks. She eyed Burnin, clearly recognizing Endeavor’s sidekick before she huffed. “If you like him so much then you can color his page.”

“Are you really arguing with the person who is supposed to be helping us?” Burnin sighed as she placed an ice coffee on top of Hawks’ head before handing Bakugo his Americano. She took a sip from her own iced drink and sighed pleasantly before she shoved Hawks away and glanced at the girl who was laughing. “Do you mind helping us? I already paid your mom for the service but if you don’t want to then we can just leave and I won’t ask for a refund.”

Reimena blushed at Burnin’s attention before she nodded. She glanced at Bakugo and spread out her fingers how she wanted him to hold his hands. 

Bakugo sighed before mimicking the girl. He held out his hand and seemed to be thinking really hard and Reimena stared at his hands for a bit before she smiled and reached over to his right hand and tapped against his pinky and ring finger. “Your parents. You care about them a lot and they care about you.”

Bakugo blushed a bit before he grunted. “That’s not who-”

Reimena paused before she tapped his ring finger on his left hand and then his thumb on the right. “Are these the friends who wanted me to check on?”

Burnin stared at Bakugo’s face as the blond stared wide-eyed at the girl. If she was surprised by his reaction or put off, she didn’t show, instead she let her little fingers press against his right thumb before pulling away as if holding a thread. 

“This thread is weird.” Reimena eyed it a bit and everyone held their breath for the girl to explain. “It starts off strong with you but seems to get weaker and weaker the further it gets from you which tells me that while you are still connected, maybe the feelings are stronger on your end? But the color is also fading, like an old relationship but you’re too young to have something like that . . . or at least I’ve only seen it on people my mom’s age or older.”

Bakugo didn’t say anything and Burnin remained silent. Hawks looked bored in the corner but Burnin knew the blond was paying attention to every word. 

“This one is stronger.” Reimena blushed a little bit and Burnin wanted to make a comment but held back as the girl tapped Bakugo’s left ring finger. “I’m not sure why you’re checking in on this one, seems like you both are really close.”

Reimena stopped as Bakugo let out a shaky breath and the teen stared at the girl for a moment before taking a deep breath. “But he’s alive?”

Reimena blinked, seemingly confused. “Everyone you thought of is alive. And you didn’t even try to test me like the old man over there and think of the same people on multiple fingers.”

“I’m not an old man.” Hawks grumbled but didn’t provide any more information as Burnin glanced at him. 

“Hey, mister, you okay?” Reimena’s voice startled Burnin who suddenly had to step back as Bakugo got up from his chair and proceeded to stop out of the cafe. Burnin grabbed Hawks and waved bye before chasing after the teen. 

“Bakugo, wait!” Burnin sighed as Hawks seemed to be struggling in her grip so she let the blond go so that they could catch up to the teen. “We need to-”

“FUCK!” Bakugo turned down an alley and Burnin made it around the corner to watch the teen slam his fist into the ground. The sidekick ran over quickly to hold him back from doing any damage to himself but Hawks grabbed before she got too close. Bakugo growled. “Just give me a moment!”

“Take all the time you need.” Hawks spoke before Burnin could say anything and then the blond took a sip of his ice coffee before making it back to the entrance of the alley. Burnin took a breath, wanting to talk to Bakugo before she decided to follow Hawks’ lead and followed the blond out. 

“Isn’t that good news?” Burnin sighed. “Do you know who the first string was? I know the second was Deku.”

“Hmm.” Hawks stretched a bit before shrugging. “I’m guessing the first was the missing kid. Eri-chan.”

Burnin nodded in agreement, feeling a little bad that she hadn’t thought of the girl instantly before Burnin took a deep breath. “So, Hawks, we have proof of life. What’s next?”

Hawks paused before smiling a bit and Burning felt a headache coming on. 

Whatever it was, she was sure Endeavor was going to hate it. 

...  
…  
…

Ukai groaned as he paced a few more times in the store before he sighed and closed the shop. His grandpa was right and he couldn’t run away from his problems anymore. 

The coach ran up the stairs to his childhood home and knocked the door before opening it and finding his mom similarly pacing in the living room. He almost wanted to laugh about how much he took after her but now wasn’t the time. “Mom, when does dad get back?”

“Keishin! Oh, um.” She paused for a moment before glanced at him in confusion. “Tomorrow, why?”

“Because we’re going to do this the right way.” Keishin ran over to her and pulled his mother into a quick hug. “I’ll bring sensei over tomorrow for dinner and then we can talk, okay.”

His mother was limp in his arms for a bit before she leaned into his embrace with a sigh. “I’ll make curry, since it’s your father’s favorite.”

Keishin wanted to talk to her more, wanted to hash it out just the two of them but he needed to get going. He let go of her and made his way over to the stairs. “I’m closing the shop for the rest of the day since grandpa took Izuku, but I’ll make sure that he can cover the afternoon shift tomorrow so we can eat together.”

“Should Izuki be part of the dinner?” Ukai’s mom seemed confused. “As Takeda-sensei’s family?”

“It’ll be fine.” Ukai paused at the door before she gave his mom a small bow. “I’m sorry. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

With that he made his way back down the stairs. He grabbed Izuku’s bag and made sure to lock up before he started jogging over to Takeda-sensei’s apartment. Thankfully it didn’t take long but the coach was a little out of breath when he opened the door to find Takeda in a full suit. “Keishin!”

“Sensei . . . you look nice.” Keishin put Deku’s bag down by the door and pulled the older man into a hug. “I saw that grandpa stole the kids so I came over. What are you doing in a suit?”

Takeda grabbed Keishin back just as tightly, clearly not caring that the younger man was sweating as the teacher held on tightly. “I was going to run over to your home and ask your parents permission to date you.”

Takeda’s voice had been soft, Ukai almost didn’t hear it, but when the words registered the younger man couldn’t help but let out a laugh. 

“It’s not funny! I’m serious-”

“I love you so much.” Ukai pulled the teacher into a kiss to silence the older man. “I already talked to my mom and we’re going to have dinner with them tomorrow to talk. My dad is out of town and I thought it would be better to only have to do this once.”

There was a pause before Takeda’s face went beet red. 

They stared at each other for a moment before Ukai started undoing Takeda’s tie. The teacher squirmed and for a moment the coach thought that he was going to be pushed off but Takeda was just pulling off his suit jacket and trying to hand it on the chair. Ukai laughed at the older man for worrying about wrinkles but then they were kissing again. 

“I’m so scared.” Takeda admitted against Ukai’s lips and the coach started to pull the older man towards the bedroom. “What if-”

“I’m not leaving you.” Ukai threw his shirt on the ground before he started to work on Takeda’s belt. “It’ll be fine. No matter what, we’re in this together.”

“But what if-” Takeda tried again and Ukai shoved the older man onto the bed before pulling off the teacher’s pants and underwear in one gowith a smirk. He had honestly never been this smooth in his life but he didn’t think the teacher even noticed because he was being pulled down into the mattress with Takeda. “Keishin, I love you.”

“I love you, too, sensei.” Keishin knew that they would need to talk before the dinner but he also knew that Takeda was too wound up. The younger man was going to take advantage of Izuku being gone and he was going to tire his boyfriend out to the point of exhaustion. 

They would talk. 

But right now he just wanted to be as close to Takeda as possible. 

“I love you, I love you.” Keishin whispered, not caring how desperate he sounded before he pulled his fingers out. Takeda barely gave him enough time to put on the condom before the teacher was lining Keishin’s cock up and then the coach was pushing himself inside with one slow thrust. “Fuck, I love you.”

“Please.” Takeda pulled Keishin forward into a kiss, their tongues pressing against each other. The younger man kept the pace of his hips slow and deep, knowing that anything fast might be overwhelming as they continued to press against each other as if they could somehow merge. 

It would be okay. 

Keishin would make sure they were okay. 

…  
...  
...

“I’m surprised you didn’t kill him, Shiggy-chan.” Toga laughed towards the unconscious but still living body that was in the corner of the room. 

“I thought I told you to toss him. His quirk is useless to me.” Shigaraki’s voice was rough and quiet. Toga hummed a bit knowing that her leader would have more to say and was rewarded as Shigaraki sighed. “Drop him, I don’t care where. But there is something that I want you to look into.” 

“Anything for my fearless leader.” Toga laughed. 

“Find Deku.” Shigaraki glared and Toga straightened a bit at the strength a bit. “I want to know where that coward is hiding. I’m tired of his game.”

Toga gave him a salute before she made her way over to the limp body and proceeded to drag it out of the room. She would happily look for Deku any day, any time. 

In fact, she knew just who she was going to ask first. 

…  
…  
…

Deku’s body hurt. 

The teen let his head rest on the counter of the store before glancing outside and seeing that it looked like rain. He hoped that didn’t ruin Takeda-sensei’s dinner plans at the Ukai’s, but he figured it would all be okay. He had walked with both the men to the store that morning before they had gone off to morning practice and Deku had opened the shop. Ukai’s mom had come down and had chatted with Deku a bit until her son had shown back up and then she had made her way back upstairs. 

It had been awkward. 

The day had been slow and Deku had been able to take a nap in the back room, which he had been grateful for since his body was still sore from the run yesterday with the team. He knew that practice this afternoon had been cancelled and the teen wondered if anyone was going to stop by. 

One good thing about being so exhausted was that Deku didn’t have the energy to have any wet dreams about Kacchan during the night so now the teen felt a little less guilty about fantasizing about his childhood friend. 

“I know coach is smoking outside but you probably shouldn’t be napping while you’re supposed to be working.” Deku startled at Ennoshita’s voice and smiled at the Karasuno captain. 

“Done for the day?” Deku didn’t bother with excuses as he smiled at his friend. “Or is the rest of the team behind you?”

“I wanted to go ahead and put in an order for meat buns for after practice tomorrow.” Ennoshita pulled out his wallet and a piece of paper. “Since practice was cancelled today, most of the team is doing drills on their own with Ryu watching over them. Tomorrow’s practice will probably go twice as long as we’ll want to have these ready around closing time.”

“I’ll put it in the book!” Deku smiled, pausing a bit. 

Ennoshita seemed to be in a good mood. In fact, Yachi had even mentioned something the other day about Ennoshita seeming to be off his game but the team captain seemed fine now. 

“How have you been?” Deku tried to sound smooth but new instantly that he sounded a little forced. He smiled a bit as he rubbed the back of his hair, which was only getting longer. Ennoshita just smiled back. 

“I decided to confess to Ryu before the end of the month.” Ennoshita shrugged as if it was no big deal but Deku knew the teen had to be freaking out inside. He had been putting it off for years. 

“What changed?” Leaned against the counter, genuinely excited for his friend. 

“I’m tired of overthinking it.” Ennoshita sighed before he rubbed his face. “I feel like I’ll regret until the day I die if I don’t say anything and half the year has already gone by. Time is running out.”

Deku smiled at that, tapping his hand on the counter as he thought about Kacchan. “Do it as soon as you can, you never know when you’ll lose the chance of ever saying anything again.”

Ennoshita made a face and Deku realized he sounded a little too down there and quickly waved his hands around. “I mean, I just think that-”

“What was Kacchan like? Before you had to leave home?” Ennoshita leaned against the counter and his smile was soft, clearly he wasn’t going to push it if Deku didn’t want to talk about him. Deku frowned a bit before taking a breath and unlocking his phone to share some of his photos with Ennoshita. It had taken some time to take out the hero costume or quirk revealing pics but now Deku had “normal” photos of his friends that he could share with people. 

Including his favorite photo of Kacchan. 

Deku smiled as he pulled it up and slid his phone over for Ennoshita to see. Bakugo was screaming at the camera like a punk, sticking out his tongue as he flicked off the camera (and Deku). The teen was shirtless and it was clear that training had just ended since All MIght was yelling at Kacchan in the background, clearly trying to get the teen to quiet down. 

The scars on Kacchan’s chest stood out to Deku, even if they were nearly a year old at the time of the photo. 

“And people think that Ryu looks like a punk.” Ennoshita laughed and Deku smiled brightly. 

“He’s actually top of our, uh, his class at school.” Deku wiped to another photo that had Bakugo sleeping with a young Eri sprawled across him. Deku was actually in this photo, also asleep and using Kacchan’s shoulder as a pillow. It was one that Mirio had taken when Deku and Bakugo had watched Eri for the night. “I’ve known him for as long as I’ve been alive. Our mom’s were best friends.”

Ennoshita clearly wanted to ask more but was holding back, probably afraid of bringing up whatever tragic past the teen was making up for Deku in his mind. 

“You know I’m not a runaway, right?” Deku laughed, they had already been together for nearly six months. “I was happy back home, and I miss everyone I left behind every day.”

“Yeah . . .” Ennoshita rubbed the back of his head. “We came up with some crazy ideas for how you ended up with your cousin, I mean, Takeda-sensei isn’t really known for having a big family. Ryu ended up just telling us it was personal but it was okay, so we dropped it.”

Deku sent out a thankful prayer to Ryu. 

The teens continued talking for a bit, Deku showing some more photos and even Ennoshita sharing some of his own photos of Ryu. The teen was clearly smitten, even if his love might prove to be fruitless, and Deku found himself rooting for the teen. 

At least Ennoshita would have the chance to tell Ryu. 

All Deku could do was confess to Kacchan in his dreams. 

…  
…  
…

Uraraka should have known. 

She had been walking back after her patrol shift, had spent way too long debating whether she should buy everyone mochi but had ended up caving in. She had gotten paid extra for internship work and she thought everyone could use a little pick me up . . . especially since Monoma was still missing. 

She had only been granted permission to return to her work with Kamui Woods because they had been in the middle of a case where her quirk had been super helpful. She had managed to get her portion of the work done in two days and now she was officially going to be back on house arrest, so she figured a mochi stop wouldn’t hurt anyone. 

She honestly should have known better. 

There had been movement down an alley that had caught her attention. She had made sure to send a message to Midnight, knowing the woman was on duty to let her know she was checking something out and pinging her location. The teacher had responded with an affirmative which meant that Uraraka would need to tap the phone every minute or back up would be sent. 

A sharp yell had startled Uraraka and she had run in the alley, dropping the box of mochi as she followed the noise only to be knocked sideways as soon as she was out of eye sight of the street. She had managed to roll, jumping out of the way before a hard boot slammed itself before her head and suddenly Uraraka was staring up at the sharp blue eyes of Monoma. She sucked in a breath as the teen reached for her but she didn’t let him touch her as she slammed her elbow into his stomach and put some space between them. 

The blush on Monoma’s face gave the imposter away. 

“Where is Monoma, Toga?” Uraraka ran forward, ready to grab the girls arms, making sure that there was no knife in sight before they grappled. Toga was laughing, though with Monoma’s voice he somehow sounded more unhinged than he had in their first year. 

“What if I tell you he’s dead?” Toga whispered in Uraraka’s year and the teen managed to get one cuff on Toga’s hand before there was a wet gasp in the corner and Uraraka’s attention was drawn to a body that wasn’t too far away. Toga grunted. “Or maybe he’s still alive, doesn’t look too good.”

Uraraka hissed as she was suddenly shoved to the ground. She turned over ready to slam Toga in the face but then gray liquid fell in her face as Toga let Monoma’s disguise melt off her. 

“We got to stop meeting like this, Ochaco.” Toga’s hands held Uraraka’s arms down as the blonde’s legs pinned Uraraka’s thighs. The blond didn’t seem sorry at all, instead she pressed her now naked body against Uraraka’s and purred. “I miss you so much, we never play anymore.”

“We can play now.” Uraraka tried to shove Toga off her but the slime now meant she couldn’t get a grip. “Toga, he looks bad. Let me help him.”

“I’ll let you go if you tell me where Deku-chan is.” Toga huffed, tightening her grip on Uraraka’s wrist so much that Uraraka hissed at the sharp pain. “You are so beautiful when you writhe like that.”

Uraraka bared her teeth, knowing that back up must already be on the way and she just needed to keep the villain distracted for a few more moments. “Deku died in your attack six months ago, or were you not the one who stabbed Eraserhead while the nomu went after Eri-chan?”

Toga pursed her lips at that, clearly unhappy with that answer. 

There was another gasping sound and Uraraka felt Toga’s grip loosen for just a second and the teen was able to head butt the woman in the face. Toga groaned as she rolled away, laughing as she licked her own blood from her nose. “You should help your friend, Ochaco.”

“Toga!” Uraraka swore as the villain ran but she didn’t chase, instead she ran over to Monoma’s body to find the teen trying to shrink away. He had been beaten, that much was clear, and the Ochaco pulled out her phone to call Midnight. “Bring medics, I have Monoma!”

The blood from Toga’s broken nose had gotten on her shirt but Uraraka didn’t care as she tried to check her friend for more serious injuries. The mochi was destroyed but she had a feeling Shinso would forgive her this time around. 

Monoma was back. 

He was safe. 

The LOV was looking for Deku. That was something she would need to tell Aizawa-sensei and the class when she saw them. If they were looking for Deku then that meant that they didn’t have Deku . . . which meant that Deku could be alive? 

Right?

…  
…  
...

Takeda-sensei couldn’t believe his ears. 

He was sitting in a suit with Keishin beside him, he had even gotten the younger man to wear a suit and they both sat across from Keishin’s parents. They had decided to talk before dinner, something Takeda had thought would be best in case things went south. No reason to sit through a painful meal but after Takeda had asked them permission to date their son, he had gotten the one response he hadn’t been prepared for. 

“Are you sure you want to date, Keishin?” Ukai’s mom seemed confused and even Keishin stared at her in surprise. “I know he’s my son but sensei, you could do so much better.”

“What-” Keishin’s voice cracked but Ukai’s father interrupted him. 

“We’re not saying that we don’t love you son. And it’s not about you both being men.” Ukai’s father hummed. “But you tend to not take these things seriously and we want to make sure that Takeda-sensei understands this. He’s a respected man in this town and . . .”

“I’m respected!” Keishin huffed and Takeda couldn’t hold it anymore. The older man laughed, he tried to keep it down but the look on Keishin’s face was too priceless and the teacher couldn’t keep it down. “Don’t laugh sensei, my parents are trying to get you to break up with me!”

“I won’t do that.” Takeda chuckled but he grabbed Keishin’s hand to soften the blow. He smiled at the younger man before turning to Ukai’s parents. “I love him, if we have your blessing then he’s the one that I want to be with.”

“Even if we don’t have your blessing!” Keishin growled and at this his father growled right back. 

“This is why we think Takeda-sensei could do better.” Ukai’s father waved at Keishin’s hair. “What kind of adult man bleaches his hair? And you think you’re ready for commitment?”

“Listen old man-”

“Keishin never even went to college.” Ukai’s mom sighed. “At least someone like Makoto-kun got a degree before he took over his parent’s store.”

“Are you-are you really trying to set sensei up with Shimada right now?” Keishin did get up at that even though Takeda tried to keep him seated. The young man huffed before stomping out of the apartment and down the stairs leaving the three older adults alone. 

“He just went to smoke, he’ll be back.” Ukai’s mother huffed. 

“I’m very happy with Keishin.” Takeda felt even more embarrassed now that he was on his own. “I’m sorry that we dated without telling you but I do plan to spend the rest of my life with him.”

“If you insist . . .” Ukai’s father gave Takeda a look that had the teacher smiling. 

“I do.”

“Then you have our blessing.” Ukai’s father groaned as he got to his feet. “And now that this is over with, you should let us know when you want to move into this place. We were thinking of moving out the spring after the tournament.”

“Um, what?” Takeda wasn’t sure he heard right. 

“We’re giving Keishin the house since he’s taking over the store. Didn’t he tell you that we were moving back to the farm?” Ukai’s mom looked like she was about to start talking poorly about her son again and Takeda quickly waved her off. 

“He did mention it! I just, uh-” Takeda hadn’t talked about moving in with Keishin yet but it looked like that wouldn’t be an issue if he did. The teacher felt woozy as all the tension slowly left his body. “I’ll talk with him again and we’ll let you know when it would work best for us.”

“Great.” Ukai’s mother sighed as she also got to her feet. “I better finish the curry then. Be a dear and drag Keishin back inside. He’s probably done pouting by now.”

Takeda took a few moments before he went down to get his boyfriend. 

Keishin hadn’t been done pouting but after a few kisses the younger man was finally convinced to go back upstairs to his parents. 

…  
…  
…

It wasn’t the beeping of the machines or the smell of air from the open window that let Monoma know that he was safe, it was the familiar weight against his side. The teen’s body hurt but not as bad as it should have. He could feel Recovery Girl’s work as he opened his eyes and realized that he could breathe easily. 

He hadn’t died. 

Monoma didn’t like the tubes that he was hooked up to, but clearly Recovery Girl hadn’t been able to take care of everything that was wrong with him. He saw the IVs and wondered how anemic he had been but chose not to focus on that. 

Instead he focused on the mouth breather that was currently curled up against his side in the hospital bed. 

Shinso looked good. Well, he actually looked worse off than Monoma remembered leaving him but just seeing his face made Monoma feel warm. He wanted to touch the teen so he did, letting his fingers play with the purple hair as Shinso curled further into him. 

“He wouldn’t leave but he at least allowed me to heal you before crawling in the bed.” Recovery Girl’s voice was amused and Monoma knew she wasn’t really mad at Shinso. 

“He always sleeps better when we’re together.” Monoma muttered, wanting to kiss Shinso’s head but also too exhausted to move anymore more than his hand at the moment. “How long was I gone?”

“Four days.” Recovery Girl clicked her tongue before she reached over to grab Monoma’s hand. “You parents are on their way, do you want me to move him before they get here?”

“Shinso can stay.” Monoma didn’t want the teen to leave his side for a while and wondered if they could get away with crashing each other’s classes once he was cleared to go back to school. “Booster, was he-”

“Pro Hero Booster is in good health.” Detective Tsukauchi walked into the room with Vlad-sensei and Monoma smiled at the men. “We need to ask you a few questions before we allow visitors in to see you but I promise you that all of class A and B are outside.”

“Make them wait.” Monoma smiled, not really feeling up to it but hoping he could fake his way through the interview. 

The questions were typical and Monoma got a little worried when Shinso slept through the whole thing. Vlad-sensei mentioned that Aizawa-sensei would come and get the teen when visiting hours were over so Monoma figured it was okay to keep his boyfriend close for a while. 

Kendo and Tetsutestu cried at the sight of him. 

He made sure to thank Uraraka for finding him and the teen had waved it off. Monoma knew he would have to ask her more about what happened when he was released but in the meantime he listened to everyone as they talked over each other to try and update him on what had happened in the few days he had been gone. 

Bakugo was the only person willing to wake Shinso but it made Monoma laugh so Shinso didn’t seem too upset when all their classmates left. 

“Never again.” Shinso’s lips whispered against Monoma’s temple and the teen turned so they could have a proper kiss. 

“You know I can’t promise that.” Monoma whispered back. Shinso didn’t argue but instead they both stared at each other for a moment. Monoma stroked Shinso’s cheek and smirked when Shinso kissed his palm. 

It was a soft moment, one that Monoma wanted to hold on to forever so of course that was when Aizawa walked in. “Sorry for disturbing.”

“You don’t sound sorry at all.” Monoma groaned as he laid back in the bed. “Fine, take him back to the dorms. I’ll be back there tomorrow.”

Aizawa huffed, clearly not too bothered by Monoma giving him permission to do his job. The teacher didn’t grab Shinso though but instead pulled up a chair so that he was sitting next to the bed. Both teens stared at the teacher for a moment before Aizawa sighed. “I’m pulling both of you from your work studies.”

“But-” Shinso started but Monoma rubbed his thumb against the teen’s palm to silence him before they both continued to stare at Aizawa. 

“There is something else that I want you two to be part of, and I’ll be able to use this incident as a reason to pull you back without much suspicion.” The teacher didn’t explain anymore. 

“Do we get a say?” Shinso huffed. 

“Do we get to know what it is?” Monoma shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind a few days off to rest but I have a feeling that Booster will put me on desk work after this incident so I’m fine with the switch.”

Shinso sighed. The teen glanced at Aizawa and the teacher nodded. 

Monoma sighed when Aizawa did leave then, taking his boyfriend with him, and the teen was suddenly left alone in the hospital room. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tried to think of what Aizawa could possibly need him for but sleep soon took over. 

He would always figure it out later. 

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Canon Violence  
> -Ukai/Takeda having sex  
> -Teenagers 
> 
> Thank you for reading this chapter! Hope you enjoyed it! As always, reviews are appreciated.


	14. Up where the mountains meet the heavens above

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vlad looked unimpressed but Hawks didn’t mind. He liked it when big muscular men disapproved of him. 
> 
> It was his thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:   
> A lot happens this chapter so I hope y'all are ready! Getting the ball moving - FINALLY! Also, I know that Ground Zero is not Bakugo’s hero name but since that is what I had at the beginning of the story, that’s what I’m keeping for now.
> 
> Author’s Note:   
> I'm sad my vacation is officially over and I'm heading back to work but it was great to have a break and be able to break down the rest of this story. Right now, we are definitely in the last half of the story, maybe even the last third!! It'll depend on the next few chapters but I'm really excited about them. 
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

Things had calmed down once Monoma had been returned to UA and now the media was covering the ‘continued crisis of hero schools putting children in danger’ without much reflection on the fact that the hero schools were also training children for danger because that was the point of them. Hawks wondered if that was why more and more vigilantes seemed to be popping up. 

Endeavor and his agency had been pulled into a crisis that was happening down south and the number one hero had been needed. Endeavor had been unsure of leaving Hawks behind and the younger man had to admit that Endeavor seemed constantly suspicious of everything Hawks was doing. 

What had Burnin been telling him?

It didn’t matter cause Endeavor had been off to the crisis, Burnin was busing running the agency in his absence, and that meant Hawks didn’t have a chaperone for a few days. The younger man smiled as he made his way onto the UA grounds in broad daylight, he had made sure to call ahead so that he could get through the gate. He made his way through the halls wondering if he might have a chance to speak with Monoma, UA seemed to have the kid on lock down and Hawks was curious about what the LOV had said to him. 

Instead of finding Monoma, Hawks found himself facing one man from the HPSC that he didn’t want to deal with. The tired looking man in a suit sighed at the sight of Hawks and the blond was a little insulted by that reaction but he couldn’t blame him. 

Yokumiru Mera was not a fan of Hawks. 

Never had been. 

He was also the only person at the HPSC that Hawks knew without a doubt was still a good guy. Not because he had ever shown exemplary character or anything like that, but because the man was honestly too disinterested in life to ever get involved in double agent work. 

“Mera-san.” Hawks glanced around the empty hall and made a show of walking to the window to lean against it. “It’s been a while.”

“Not long enough.” Mera rubbed his eyes before he trudged over to the same window and leaned against it. There was enough space between them so that they didn’t seem overly familiar but were also close enough to keep the conversation private. “I’m guessing no one told you that class A were at the battle grounds or were you looking for someone other than Bakugo?”

Hawks paused there, eyeing the other man. 

So the HPSC knew what Hawks was doing, or at least had an idea of what it was. The younger man shrugged, slumping a bit more. “You know me, it’s always hard to keep track of the things people tell me. Maybe I should head over there and leave you to your inspection.”

Mera raised an eyebrow at the word ‘inspection’ and then rolled his eyes. The HPSC liked to make sure they kept track of all up and coming heroes and so they would always send Mera to each hero school to audit the classrooms throughout the years. It was also one of the reasons he was in charge of the licensing exams. 

Any hero that had been registered, or vigilante that had ever gotten on someone’s radar, Mera knew them all. It was part of his quirk, encyclopedic knowledge that never faded. 

It was also the reason the man always seemed exhausted because his brain honestly never stopped. Hawks had thought it was a boring quirk when he had been a teen and met the tired man for the first time but over the years Hawks had learned just how important information could be. 

If information was currency, Mera would have been the richest man in the world. 

“This is too exhausting. I’m here to talk with Monoma, since I heard he’s well enough to go to class again.” Mera groaned as he loosened his tie. “You look healthy.”

Hawks remembered the suited man in his hospital room after the Jaku Hospital incident and smirked. “At least I’m not on the verge of bleeding out like I was the last time you saw me.”

There was a beat of silence, both mean listening to the wind outside before Hawks turned his attention to the man. “You do know that the HPSC has been infiltrated, right?”

“Hn.” Mera frowned before he glared over at Hawks. “We’re working on it.”

Hawks sat back at that, glad the man hadn’t bothered to hide the fact that the HPSC had some shady dealings but also wanting to make a few more comments. He was interrupted by the bell ringing through the hallway as suddenly classes came to an end and the doors opened to reveal students coming out. 

Vlad King walked out into the hall to see both the men waiting outside his door. The homeroom teacher rolled his eyes as he walked over. “If you’re looking for Monoma, he’s off school grounds for the day.”

Mera groaned at that like he was a teenager aggravated by his parents before the man sat up and just sighed. “Thanks for the update. I’ll head back to the office then.”

The man paused a bit as he passed Hawks before he gave the blond his business card. Mera reached over and ruffled Hawks hair, like the blond was still a child before huffing. “In case you find yourself in a bind, call me.”

“Fat chance.” Hawks stuck his tongue out at the man. He still pocketed the card before he smiled at Vlad. “I’m actually here for Bakugo, do you know where class A is?”

Vlad looked unimpressed but Hawks didn’t mind. He liked it when big muscular men disapproved of him. 

It was his thing. 

…  
…  
...

Deku took a deep breath as he eyed the fridge in front of him. He had started back on his weight training but hadn’t made an effort to try to use his quirk in a while. If Eri was right it was still there, somewhere inside him, but if he left it alone then it would disappear like hers did. 

Deku didn’t want to lose One For All. 

Not yet. 

“Are you sure this is safe?” Takeda-sensei’s voice seemed worried but Deku didn’t look back to where he knew Takeda and Eri were sitting. 

“Don’t worry, Takeda-sensei.” Eri’s voice was light and Deku wondered if she was recording him as he made his way to the fridge. “Deku, don’t hurt yourself!”

He didn’t bother responding as he wrapped his arms around the fridge and lifted it with strain. His quirk wasn’t active but it was clear his body was still in great shape despite having to come up with an odd exercise or two in this new world. He managed to walk it across Eri’s apartment and towards the entryway where her building manager would come pick it up later and sighed after he sat it down. 

He could hear Takeda and Eri in the background and the teen tried to catch his breath as he made his way over back to them. 

“So it didn’t work?” Takeda-sensei was sitting on the floor next to Eri where she was holding Deku’s tablet. The teacher was leaning over the woman’s shoulder with interest as Eri frowned at the screen. 

“Not this time.” Eri tapped the screen and Deku only heard a few seconds of the video noise to know she was showing Takeda some of his training videos. “You see, when Deku’s quirk activates there is this green lightning. Maybe it wouldn’t show up here but even if it didn’t, he should have been able to move that fridge much quicker.”

“I’m just out of shape.” Deku groaned. 

“Izuku-kun, you’re in great shape.” Takeda laughed before he grabbed some of the paperwork that was in front of Eri. The teacher smiled softly for a moment. “Thank you both, for including me in this.”

Deku had been worried at first, when he decided that he was going to activate his quirk in this world. Takeda-sensei had only seen the fevers and the Deku fainting . . . but the teacher might have also seen Deku use his quirk on the tree at Nekomata Highschool. They weren’t sure if Deku had used it, but when Deku told Eri about the incident she had agreed that it was definitely unusual. 

Honestly, the teen wasn’t sure what changed but he had woken up one morning and had realized that he hadn’t actually tried to get back home. All his time had been dedicated to finding Eri and when he did find her, he had just . . . assimilated. 

“We’re glad to have you here, Takeda-sensei.” Eri smiled before glancing at Deku. “I’m glad that Deku has someone he can rely on.”

Eri was more than happy to help Deku try to use his quirk but it was clear that the woman felt his chances of making it back home were impossible. But she still said she would try as long as he brought Takeda-sensei into the fold so that someone could keep an eye on Deku when she wasn’t around. 

Well, at first she had tried to use it as leverage to finally get him to move in with her but they finally had a real heart to heart. 

Eri had a new life. 

Deku wanted to get his old one back. 

If, and it was a big if, Deku figured out a way to go back to their world . . . she wouldn’t go with him. It had been heartbreaking for Deku to hear those words but he also understood. She grew up here, her quirk no longer hurt those around her because it no longer existed, and she had a family that she truly loved. She loved and missed everyone she had left behind but she had found something new for herself here and she wasn’t willing to let it go. 

When Deku had finally worked up the nerve to ask Takeda-sensei to join him the teacher had been beside himself with excitement. Everyone in the know at Karasuno had wanted to join in but eventually Deku had only agreed to let Takeda come to Eri’s visit but he would make sure he invited everyone if he tried anything locally. 

It just didn’t make sense dragging everyone to Tokyo just to watch him try and lift stuff. 

“Izuku-kun, was there something that you did back in your world that you haven’t tried to do here yet?” Takeda hummed as he handed back the papers to Eri. “I don’t really understand the science behind this, I’ll leave that to Eri-san, but if I think about it like volleyball then maybe the work you did before has changed since coming here?”

Deku paused at that thought. 

“I trained with my classmates.” Deku made his way over to them and grabbed his tablet so that he could pull up the video he had with Uraraka and Tsu-chan. He turned it over to show both the adults. “We would use our quirks and other training to push each other to the limit. It was about learning how to work with others and how to work on your own at the same time.”

“Because a hero never knew when they would end up on their own.” Eri hummed and Deku smiled, knowing it was probably something Aizawa-san would tell Mirio all the time.

“Right, so maybe when we get back to Karasuno we should try some team exercises?” Takeda hummed. “We might not have quirks in this world but I’m sure we could work something out.”

Takeday paused for a bit before laughing as he rubbed the back of his head. “As long as it doesn’t get in the way of practice, of course.”

“Oh!” Eri smiled brightly at that. “I have to go to a conference in England so I’ll be gone for a few weeks so please record whatever you decide. I want to keep track of any changes. Same goes to you, Deku-nii, keep me updated if you notice any changes.”

Deku couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he agreed and then started trying to work up ideas of what they could try. 

It might not work but he had to try. 

He had to. 

…  
…  
…

Endeavor woke up instantly, his eyes snapping open as he stared at the darkness of his room before the older man groaned. He didn’t need to look at the clock to know that he had only gotten a few hours of sleep. The older man took a deep breath before he forced himself to sit up. He could probably get another hour two if he forced it but he figured getting something to drink first wasn’t the worst idea. 

Things had been busy and the man knew he was pushing himself but he didn’t want to give up anything. Burnin was helping with the Hawks situation, and his interns were - for better or worse - actually quite useful now that they were back more regularly. Even Bakugo was dropping his attitude when he was out in the field and Endeavor didn’t know if he should thank Burnin or maybe write a letter to Best Jeanist to say this kid might have actually grown up now. 

Hawks. 

Endeavor had been so sure that the younger man would have fought him more about the LOV incident but the blond had backed off. Endeavor had been so sure that Hawks had been hoping to go after Dabi that the older man had been blindsided to learn that Hawks had known that Dabi was dead. 

Hawks knew Dabi was dead. 

That hadn’t been readily available information. Maybe it was something the younger man had put together since Dabi had seemingly disappeared from the scene but for the ex-pro hero to know, and to say it so matter of factly, Endeavor wasn’t sure how he felt about it. 

The man rubbed his forehead as he made his way out of his room only to pause as he spotted a familiar form curled up on the couch in the living room. 

Again. 

Endeavor always felt like Hawks was a bit of a mystery, something that had annoyed him just as badly as it made him more curious about the man. That said, Endeavor was getting to know Hawks’ tells. The more time they spent together meant the more patterns Endeavor was picking up, though part of him wondered if it was intentional, something to put Endeavor off his guard. 

Hawks biggest tell? The more on edge the younger man was, the more space he needed. Not that the room Hawks had been staying in was small but it didn’t have the open floor plan of the common areas and certainly didn’t have the huge windows that the living room had. Hawks was on edge and had been sleeping in the living room ever since. 

Endeavor made his way over to the kitchen to get some water and drank a glass. The older man thought about the latest report from Burnin, about how Hawks had taken them to a man who could send messages to anyone with the hopes that Bakugo would be able to pass a message to Midoriya to let the kid know they were looking for him. The problem then became Bakugo. 

Bakugo wanted to know how the man’s quirk worked and wouldn’t pass on any messages until he understood it completely. Burnin made sure to note that Hawks and Bakugo continued to butt heads, and that she wanted a raise once they got the happy ending they were working for, but Burnin also called out that Hawks was acting off. 

Endeavor sighed as he made his way back into the living room and stared at the sleeping form on his couch. 

What was Hawks getting anxious about? 

Endeavor didn’t think it was the search for Midoriya, despite Bakugo’s resistance to take Hawks at his word. To be honest, Endeavor was proud of the teen. He had been afraid that Bakugo would run in head first and get himself hurt or worse . . . it was the main reason he had added Burnin to the group but the blond was proving the number one hero wrong. Bakugo was definitely still reckless, but it was clear once the teen got confirmation that Midoriya was still alive, Bakugo had started approaching this with a seriousness that Endeavor was proud of. 

Was it the LOV? Hawks had been adamant that he needed to be part of the search for the League but had dropped it pretty quickly. Endeavor was sure that the blond was still looking, but Hawks was acting as if nothing had changed. 

But something was off. 

Hawks had been quiet at home. Quiet for him at least. 

Endeavor felt a headache coming on. He wasn’t going to get anymore sleep now that he was thinking about all of this. The older man groaned as he sat in a chair that was facing the couch and he just stared at the sleeping ex-pro hero. 

Was it the HPSC? Endeavor had seen Mera’s card in Hawks’ things when the younger man had been looking up information online. Had it been intentional that Hawks’ had wanted him to see the card or had Hawks not considered the possible thoughts going through Endeavor’s head? 

Was Hawks still working for them? After all this time? 

“If I knew you were going to watch me sleep, I would have put on sexier pajamas.” Hawks’ voice was rough with sleep and Endeavor was grateful that he was too tired to react as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Hawks, what are you hiding?” Endeavor let his hands fall so that he could just stare at the other man who was now sitting up. Hawks’ scarred hands holding the blanket tight around his shoulders as the younger man stared right back. “Don’t you think it’s about time we put all of our cards out on the table?”

Endeavor wanted the truth. 

He knew that he had already relayed more information to Hawks than Hawks was giving back but the older man hadn’t minded. He had thought that showing his trust in the younger man would get Hawks to realize that Endeavor was on his side, that they could work on this together. Mirko had thought Endeavor was nuts but she had agreed to keep Hawks in the loop as well. 

Now it was Hawks' turn to share. 

“What if you don’t like the cards in my hand?” Hawks' voice was soft and suddenly Endeavor remembered the last night he had seen the younger man before Hawks had disappeared. A small broken man that had visited Endeavor’s hospital room as if to say goodbye. 

Endeavor wasn’t going to let Hawks disappear this time. 

“I think you should trust me.” Endeavor’s cool blue eyes met with the gold ones across from him and he felt hot suddenly. As if his body had finally decided to really wake up. 

Hawks seemed to regard Endeavor for a moment before the younger man let the blanket fall from his shoulders. Endeavor watched as the younger man got to his feet and made his way over so that he was now standing in front of Endeavor’s chair staring down at the older man and Endeavor suddenly felt the need to grab the younger man but he didn’t. He couldn’t control himself. 

“Endeavor-san.” Hawks' voice was still soft and the younger man leaned forward so that both of his hands were on the armrests of the chair, and he got into Endeavor’s space. “You are the only person left that I trust.”

Hawks’ eyes didn’t shift as he said those words and Endeavor wanted to ask Hawks about Mirko. She had been the one that he had gone to before Endeavor had found him. Did he not trust her or had that just been the safer option at the time? 

If Hawks trusted him then why wouldn’t he talk to him. 

Instead of asking those questions though, Endeavor found himself reaching up and pulling the younger man to him. Hawks chirped as he fell on Endeavor’s lap in surprise, the blond’s face heating up as he stared at Endeavor with a new sort of expression that had Endeavor wanting to kiss the man. 

“Endeavor-san, I think you’re still sleepin-” Endeavor ran his thumb against Hawk’s neck, feeling a new sense of heat as the younger man shivered against him. Hawks balanced himself in the chair, his thighs stretching out over Endeavor’s legs as the younger man grabbed Endeavor’s wrists tightly. “Endeavor-san, I think the HPSC expects something to happen at the licensing exam but I haven’t been able to find proof.” 

Endeavor blinked as he stared at the younger man in his lap. Hawks was flushed, his grip on Endeavor’s wrist was tight but not so hard as to make Endeavor think the younger man wanted to stop but . . . 

“The licensing exam has some of the tightest security in the world. Not only that, but it is filled with people who have gotten their provisional licenses or have otherwise qualified to be a hero.” Endeavor let his thumb press against Hawks’ pulse point and enjoyed how the blond’s eyes fluttered at the action, he could feel Hawks’ swallow before he finally released his hold on the younger man. 

“It wouldn’t be the first time someone-” Hawks paused, his face still pink. “I can’t talk to you like this.”

Endeavor wondered if it was the proximity or the fact that Hawks was still spread out on his lap but he didn’t say anything as the blond slowly got up and wobbled over to the couch. Endeavor was going to ask if he was okay but Hawks put his face in his hands and continued. “The League has been quiet for a while, almost a year. So why did they make such a big move with Booster? Why kidnap a UA student?”

“You think they are after something else?” Endeavor turned so that he was facing the window and sighed internally at the sight of the rising sun. So much for sleep. 

“Someone else.” Hawks took a deep breath before he got Endeavor’s attention again. “This is class A’s chance to be officially licensed before they graduate.”

Endeavor waited a moment as he thought over each student in the class that the League had shown interest over time. If MIdoriya had still been around then he would have been the obvious choice but without Midoriya then the next choice would be . . .

“Bakugo.” Endeavor was honestly considering shipping the teen to the U.S. at this point. 

Hawks spread his hands out as if to say ‘what can you do’ and shrugged. “When has Bakugo ever not been in the center of it all?”

Endeavor was going to have to talk to UA. 

…  
…  
…

“Midoriya! Asahi is here for you.” Yachi took the volleyball out of Deku’s hand with a smile. “You better go save him before Nishinoya convinces him to make out at the school.”

Deku flushed at that with a laugh before he made his way over to the main door of the gym to find Asahi trying to shove Nishinoya off him. Tanaka and Ennoshita were laughing at the two of them, even as Asahi struggled. 

“We never got to try anything when you were a student here, you should let me-” Nishinoya was pressed against Asahi even as his bigger boyfriend tried to shove him off. 

“No! We can do whatever you want at home!” Asahi’s face was bright red and Tanaka just laughed harder. 

“I’m sure you can make Asahi put on his uniform if you want to roleplay, Noya.” Tanaka cackled as Asahi glared at him. 

“Oh, we already do that sometimes. Last week, we-” Nishinoya’s story was interrupted by Asahi slamming his hand over his boyfriend's mouth but everyone who heard was already blushing. 

“I, uh, I’m ready to go?” Deku smiled as he grabbed his bag. Ennoshita managed to wrangle Nishinoya and Tanaka back in the gym and the Deku just shook his head as he put his sneakers on. Asahi looked like he was about to faint in embarrassment. “Thanks for meeting me here, I figured it was the easiest place to get to but I probably should have considered Nishinoya’s excitement.” 

“Don’t worry about it, half the time he’s just kidding.” Asahi laughed and Deku wanted to ask about the other half of the time but figured that might be too embarrassing for Asahi to share. 

With Deku trying to get his quirk to activate, one of the people who ended up having the most availability was Asahi. The teen had been excited to help Deku out and since then they had taken to hanging out more when they both had time off from their jobs and when they had even more time, Asahi would take Deku down hiking trails to find spots where Deku could work himself out and try to destroy things without the possibility of people coming by. 

Today they were just going to go grab some food and watch some of Deku’s old training videos to see if they could come up with more ideas. Deku had even gotten some old videos of the games Asahi had played in and was hoping to watch those as well so that he could ask Karasuno’s former ace what it had been like to take on so many powerful teams. Asahi tended to be self-deprecating, like Deku was, and the green haired teen was excited to build this friendship further. 

“I know you want to go back home, but while you’re here . . . is there anything you were ever interested in doing but couldn’t because of Hero work?” Asahi hummed a bit. “I was able to grow my hair out in school but the first thing I did when I graduated was get my ears pierced. It had been something I had wanted to do but wasn’t able to because of the dress code.”

Deku pressed his thumb against his earlobe as he thought about it. His hair was getting longer but Deku honestly found it easier to tie it back instead of dealing with getting it cut every few months. The teen had started to wonder if this was why Aizawa-sensei kept his hair long but he honestly had thought about doing anything else really. 

Well that wasn’t true. 

There was one thing. 

Asahi seemed to realize Deku had thought of something and hit the teen on the back. “C’mon! We have some time before dinner. If it’s something small, maybe we can do it before we grab food.”

“It wasn’t really against the hero dress code or anything. In fact, there hadn’t been a hero dress code in place until Midnight-sensei.” Deku smiled a bit as Asahi blushed. 

“She’s the dominatrix one, right?”

Saeko had been the one to find a picture of Midnight on Deku’s phone and the blond had lost it. Not in embarrassment but in pure joy that Deku had something dirty on his phone cause she had been worried he was a monk. Deku then had to explain to everyone who Midnight was and how her quirk worked, and it had been a bit embarrassing because Midnight had officially become Saeko and Nishinoya’s favorite hero in that instant. 

“Yeah, her earlier costumes were . . . more revealing than the one she wears now.” Deku laughed as he rubbed his earlobe again. “Hawks, I didn’t have any pictures of him because he went missing a while back, but he had his ears pierced in multiple places.”

Asahi smiled. “So you want to pierce your ears?”

Kacchan would hate it. 

Deku found himself nodding anyway. “I had thought about it but I didn’t think it really fit my image but I don’t know . . .”

“You can always take them out if you don’t like it.” Asahi pulled out his phone. “I’m texting my friend at the workshop. She does jewelry, but occasionally does tattoos and piercings. She’s the one who did mine.”

Deku laughed as they made their way down the street. 

Kacchan would hate it if he pierced his ears but Deku suddenly found himself smiling at the thought. 

Then maybe Kacchan could yell at him about them in the future. 

…  
…  
…

This was their first attempt at getting a real hero’s license. Normally any third year at UA would have been able to apply for it in the fall but due to “security concerns”, the new rule this year was only people over the age of 18 could go for it. 

Todoroki was pissed. 

“This is the general rule for the public but UA students have always received special treatment until now. You’ll be able to try again in March, when the next exam happens.” Aizawa-sensei’s voice was bored as he stared out at the third year students in front of him. Class A and B had banded together to protest the change but Aizawa and Vlad were unmoving. 

“You know the only reason they changed this rule is because they think something is going to happen.” Asui wrung her hands together. “Wouldn’t it be better if UA didn’t participate at all?”

“Fuck that!” Bakugo growled and Todoroki felt a headache coming on as the blond yelled at the rest of the class. “I’m not hiding just because some bad guys want to come after us. What kind of shit hero would that make me? If you extras don’t want to participate then stay home, I’m going to get my license.”

“Being an extra doesn’t keep us out of the line of fire, jackass.” Monoma placed his hand on Bakugo’s shoulder with a smile. Bakugo was about to say something back but Monoma lifted his hand and blasted Bakugo in the face causing the angry blonde to fall back. “Now can everyone take a deep breath?”

“You little-” 

“Bakugo, stop it.” Iida was suddenly between the both of them. The Class A rep sighed before he bowed to the teachers. “Can you give us time before we tell you who is participating?”

Aizawa just sighed as if Iida had asked him for something exhausting and then the teacher trudged out of the room. Todoroki was honestly a bit worried with how tired their homeroom teacher seemed but instead everyone turned their eyes to Vlad. The older man just placed a piece of paper on the nearest table and then pointed at Kendo and Iida. “We need the list by the end of day. Get it to me before the last bell.”

“Yes, sir.” Kendo and Iida responded and then the other teacher left leaving the students together. 

“I’m not 18 yet, so I can write down the names.” Uraraka sighed as she went over to the table and pulled out a pen. “I want to participate but I can understand the rule change. UA shouldn’t be getting special treatment over the other schools.”

“Yes, UA should!” Kirishima groaned. “How manly is it that we could have gotten our licenses before we graduated!! Now I have to wait till march?” 

The students argued for a bit longer, Todoroki not liking the fact that he was officially off the list but that Bakugo and Iida were going to take the exam without him. If something did happen, he would prefer to be there himself. 

“Then why don’t you watch in the stands? I’m sure Best Jeanist can get you special permission since you’re training under him.” Iida had asked later that night while they studied for their English test the next day. 

Their relationship had slowed down a bit due to how busy the school and their internships were keeping them but that didn’t mean they didn’t spend every available moment with each other. At this point, Todoroki wanted to take it to the next level but he understood that Iida spread too thin. 

Todoroki could keep his hands to himself until the winter break. 

He could. 

“If I watch in the stands it doesn’t solve the problem of having less students on site.” Todoroki sighed as he stared at Iida’s collar bone. Had the teen’s shirt always been this loose? 

Todoroki’s attention was distracted when Iida’s fingers reached out to his hand on the table. Todoroki glanced up at his blushing boyfriend and the teen couldn’t help but let their fingers intertwine. Iida cleared his throat a bit. “I’ll be there to watch you in March.”

Todoroki pulled Iida’s hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss on the thick fingers before smirking. “Then make sure you pass this time, Class Rep.” 

They ended up making out on Iida’s bed until Denki came by to borrow some of Iida’s notes. Todoroki must have had a look on his face because Denki just smirked and the teen made his way back to his room. Todoroki didn’t mind waiting, he had a feeling something else was going on since he hadn’t heard from his father for a few days. If this had been a year ago, Endeavor would have been breaking down the HPSC’s door trying to get special permission for Shoto to take the test. 

As it was, Todoroki had a feeling that his dad might know what was going on. 

In the end it didn’t matter because time flew by so fast that Todoroki hadn’t even realized that the day of the exam was happening until he had woken up to see off his classmates. Everyone else had made sure to have their internship work schedule during the exam so they could keep busy. The only person who was out of the loop was Kirishima, because Mirko was going to be helping with the test this year, so the red head was joining Todoroki on a patrol in Best Jeanist’s neighborhood. 

“I’m actually glad that I’m not taking it this time around if Mirko’s involved.” Red Riot groaned. “She’s probably beating everyone to a pulp and laughing at them as they pass out.”

“I’m sure whatever happens it’ll be within the HPSC guidelines.” Todoroki worried about Iida for a moment but then he figured if anyone had a chance of getting away from Mirko, Iida might be able to outrun her. 

In the grand scheme of things, everyone would have known better. 

The LOV, despite being a villainous organization never repeated itself. They liked to do something new each time, and the longer they were around the more they liked to surprise people. Which is why the HPSC should have known that it wasn’t the kids in the licensing exams that were in danger, but the kids outside. 

…  
…  
...

Takeda-sensei stared in awe as the maple tree Izuku had been kicking snapped. The teen had been hopping all over the woods, slipping occasionally but still managing to get speed before he kicked the rather larger tree. Takeda could hear the cracking and found himself holding onto the camera tighter before glancing at the others who were also staring in shock. 

“Make sure you’re out of the way!” Takeda shouted and it startled Ryu but it got the teen up to his feet as he dragged his sister with him to where Takeda was. The teacher turned to Izuku who seemed frozen in shock as a small spark of green light disappeared. “Izuku, move back!”

The teen startled before scrambled away just in time as the tree splintered and then collapsed to the ground with the loudest noise possible. Takeda shut of the video as he ran over, trying to fan the dust out of his face as he found Izuku who seemed just as shocked. The teen’s hair was pulled back into a small ponytail and the silver studs in his ears seemed to gleem in the sun as the teen blinked before smiling at Takeda. 

“It . . . it worked.” Izuku’s smile only grew. “It worked!”

“Woohoo!” Saeko shouted and Takeda laughed before they heard shouting in the distance. The tree falling must have attracted other hikers that were nearby. 

“We should probably go.” Takeda laughed as he helped Izuku to his feet only for the teen to trip over. “Woah!” 

“Izuku?” Ryu came over and then laughed when looking at the teen’s feet. “Um, Take-chan, I think we need to get Izuku new shoes.”

The teacher was only confused for a moment before the smell of burnt rubber hit his nose and the teacher glanced down to see the shoes hand literally come apart at the seams. He wanted to say something else but then Izuku proceeded to pass out in his arms and suddenly the teacher needed Ryu and Saeko to help him get his unconscious charge back to their car before strangers found them and asked them questions. 

Takeda needed to call Eri as soon as they made it back home. 

Izuku had done it. 

He’d really done it. 

…  
…  
…

Dabi was dead. 

Dabi was dead, Todoroki had seen what had been left of his brother burn up in that warehouse. He had seen it with his own eyes. 

“Oh, Shoto. You’ve grown up nicely.” Dabi’s smiling face laughed as the blue fire took over the sidewalk. Todoroki didn’t remember where Red Riot had gone in the first attack, he wasn’t sure if the civilians who had been there just a moment ago were safe - all he could see was Dabi’s cold eyes smiling at him. 

“Dabi is dead.” Todoroki’s voice wobbled and the teen clenched his teeth as Dabi’s smile grew. He needed to think. 

This wasn’t Dabi. 

It wasn’t Toya. 

Dabi was dead. Dabi was dead and could not come back. 

Toga. 

It had to be Toga, which meant he needed to keep his distance in case she was after his blood. Todoroki found himself tripping but managed to center himself before rolling out of the way of the next blast of fire. 

“Toga Himiko, just how much of Dabi’s blood do you have saved up?” Todoroki sent a large blast of ice her way. Dabi’s fire blasted the ice away and the force of it caused Todoroki to fly back. 

She couldn’t control Dabi’s quirk. Not like Dabi could. 

“Are you saying you don’t like this face?” Dabi was grabbing Todoroki by the collar and forcing him to walk a few steps back until the teen slammed against the wall. Toga’s smile seemed unnatural on Dabi’s face. “But I wore it just for you, Shoto-kun. I thought if I let you see your long lost brother one more time you might tell me where Deku is. Oh, how I miss my Deku.”

Blue flames licked at Shoto’s clothes and it was the only warning he got before he encased himself with ice and Toga sent another blast of blue flames his way. The explosion destroyed the building behind Todoroki but he didn’t have time to worry about the destruction because suddenly a hand was around his throat and Toga’s quirk was melting off her body as she smiled at him. “Oh, that must have been the last of it. I hope you liked having that special brother time.”

“Ghhn.” Todoroki choked as her nails bit into his skin. His own flames started to activate but Toga didn’t flinch away. 

“Tell me where Deku is.” 

“He’s dead!” A hardened fist sent Toga flying and suddenly Red Riot was holding Todoroki up as he tried to catch his breath. The red head didn’t take his eyes off the blond. “Why are you harassing his classmates about something that is public knowledge? He died because of your attack with the nomus!” 

Kirishima’s answer was what Aizawa had told all of class A to say if they were ever asked. Whether it was true or not, no one would know. It could be a fact, Deku could be dead, but everyone knew that Bakugo was still looking and until the blond gave up then the rest of the class wasn’t going to give up either. 

“You little-” Toga was standing there, surrounded by smoke and fire as she glared at them both. Whatever she was about to say was lost because suddenly there was a roaring sound that Todoroki recognized almost more than his own quirk. 

Toga barely got out of the way before Endeavor slammed into the ground, the older man’s flames high on his shoulder as he glanced back to Red Riot and Shoto before glaring down at the girl who was smiling up at him. “Toga, I think it’s about time you came with me.”

“Poor Endeavor, always a few minutes too late. If you had gotten here earlier then you could have seen your-” Toga jumped out of the way just wires shot out of the ground to try and catch her. 

“Best Jeanist is here.” Red Riot whispered and Shoto had to keep his hand on Kirishima’s shoulder to stay upright as he watched the fight, waiting for a moment to help out. 

It didn’t matter because at that moment another building collapsed and Toga was gone. More heroes were on the scene looking for Toga but Todoroki didn’t take his eyes off his dad. 

They needed to talk. 

And they needed to talk now. 

…  
…  
…

“Good night!” Ennoshita laughed as he sent off the team, everyone eating meat buns as they made their way back home. Nishinoya was trying to steal Hinata’s but Kageyama was making sure his middle blocker got fed as they all walked off. 

The captain turned to Tanaka who was holding his bun like it was a prized possession. 

“You know, you’re allowed to eat those when I’m not the one paying for it.” Ennoshita shoved his friend and then they started walking towards Ryu’s house which was on the way to Ennoshita’s home. 

The captain took a moment to enjoy the cool hair, seeing his breath made him realize how cold it had gotten. It was definitely colder than normal for early October. 

“Do you think it will snow?” Ryu, as if reading his thoughts, wondered while holding his hand out as if asking for the snow that wasn’t there to fall into his palm. 

“I don’t think it's that cold.” Ennoshita sighed, glancing up at the cloudy sky that was getting dark. It was nice, walking together just the two of them. It would be moments like this that Ennoshita would miss the most after graduation. He felt himself frowning and shook his head as he smiled at Ryu. “Did you see Izuku’s pierced ears? I think Asahi-san has been a bad influence.”

“First it was the long hair and now the pierced ears.” Ryu shook his head like a disappointed father. “Soon our little Izuku will be growing facial hair and scaring strangers with his grown up looks.”

“I think Izuku still has too much of a baby face, unlike Asahi-san.” Ennoshita laughed. There was a small breeze and it made the teen shiver before suddenly he felt an arm around his shoulder. 

“Pretty smooth right?” Tanaka smiled as if he wasn’t setting Ennoshita’s world on fire. The teen laughed. “Oh, if only Kiyoko was here! This walk would be so romantic!” 

Ennoshita tried to laugh before it got strangled in his throat so instead he forced himself to match Tanaka’s steps as they continued to walk together. That was the problem, wasn’t it? No matter what Ennoshita did or tried to see, Tanaka was in love with Kiyoko. 

Ennoshita never had a chance. 

The captain was okay with it. He really was. Tanaka’s devotion to Kiyoko was just another thing to love about the teen but here, at this moment, Ennoshita felt broken. 

“I love you.” The words tumbled out of Ennoshita’s mouth as the captain stalked walking. Tanaka stumbles a bit as the change of pace but then the teen is staring at Ennoshita with wide eyes and the captain can’t stop the words. “I know that you love Kiyoko, and I’m not asking for you to change your mind but . . . I wanted to make sure you knew . . . that . . . I love you.”

Tanaka just stared. 

This was it. Ennoshita felt his heart racing and he teen suddenly was filled with regret. He had just ruined everything, didn’t he? And now they were supposed to play in Tokyo like this? Ennoshita opened his mouth, he wasn’t sure what he would say but he needed to say something only he was suddenly pulled into a tight hug. 

Ryu’s arms were going to break him. “Ryu? It . . . hurts . . .”

“Thank you for telling me.” Tanaka’s voice hitched and Ennoshita realized that his friend was crying. The captain grabbed Tanaka’s shoulders and pushed him back to see that, yep, Tanaka was crying. 

“I’ve been a terrible friend!” Tanaka warbled, the teen trying to rub the tears from his eyes. “We’ve been together all this time and I didn’t . . . how could I not know?”

“I didn’t want you to know!” Ennoshita rubbed Tanaka’s arms, trying to get the teen to calm down. “I was scared so I hid it and-”

“If I was a better friend then you wouldn’t have been scared!” Tanaka’s voice got higher and Ennoshita was suddenly shushing his friend as he pulled Tanaka over so that they weren’t in the middle of the sidewalk. 

“Why are you yelling?” Ennoshita hissed and Tanaka threw both his hands over his mouth as if that would make the scene they just had disappear. Both teens stared at each other with a mix of embarrassment and some other emotion that ended up bubbling out like laughter. “What is wrong with you? Who cries when they get confessed to?”

“I was just-” Tanaka laughs, grabbing Ennoshita’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t-”

“No, Chikara.” Tanaka laughed a bit as he grabbed Ennoshita’s hands and they laughed a bit at the awkwardness. “You are my best friend and I love you but I don’t . . . I don’t feel the same way. But this doesn’t change how much you mean to me, okay, captain?” 

“Of course. I didn’t have any expectations but s-” Ennoshita paused for a moment as tears started to well up in his eyes. 

He didn’t have expectations. 

He didn’t. 

But it still hurt all the same. 

“Come over. Stay at my place tonight.” Tanaka reached over to wipe Ennoshita’s face, trying to make the tears go away. “You can cry all you want, it’s my job as your best friend to cheer you up.”

Ennoshita laughed at how stupid all of this is and laughed even more when a small spec of snow falls on Tanaka’s nose. 

Of course it would snow. 

“Come over and Saeko will make you her famous sundaes. I saw her buy the ingredients yesterday so I know she’s looking for an excuse.” Tanaka wrapped his arm around Ennoshita’s shoulders and bow teens continued to move forward. “We can even watch those terrible american movies that you like so much. I think I still have a few of the dvds that I borrowed from you last year.”

Ennoshita just shook his head but he leaned into Tanaka’s arm and let himself be led down the road. He’d need to text his parents to make sure they know but maybe, just maybe, a night with his best friend was what he actually needed right now. 

…  
…  
...

“Why the fuck are you here?” Bakugo glared as Todoroki entered the room with Burnin. 

“I’m going to help you on the search for Midoriya, I thought that much would be obvious.” Todoroki’s voice was deadpan and it made Bakugo want to blow something up. 

“Children, please.” Burnin sighed as she pulled out a chair for Todoroki at the table. Hawks also seemed surprised at the sight of the icy-hot bastard so Bakugo decided to drop it but he wanted to know what was happening. Burnin shrugged, her flaming hair bouncing a bit as she smiled at the group. “Shoto-kun is joining us moving forward. Already talked about it with the big man and this is our new team. If you have an issue with it then I suggest talking to him directly.” 

Bakugo clicked his tongue and turned to Hawks. The older blond seemed to be distracted but Bakugo figured it wasn’t the first time. 

“Fine, he can stay.” Bakugo sighed. “Now are we going to pass on this message to Deku or not?” 

Todoroki’s lack of reaction made Bakugo nod, glad that someone had caught the nerd up on what they had been up to so that he didn’t have to explain it from square one. They all got up and Burnin pulled Hawks to the front, leaving Bakugo and Todoroki to walk side by side and the teen couldn’t help but feel tense at having his classmate nearby. 

He hadn’t even told Kirishima what he had been up to and now Todoroki knew? 

“Are you going to tell the class?” Bakugo asked, ready for a fight when Todoroki glanced back at him. 

“I already did.” Todoroki spoke as if he was talking about the weather. “As soon as my dad and Burnin read me in, I went back and explained it all to Iida. He should be telling the rest of the class right now.”

“You-” Bakugo hand to clench his fists to make sure he didn’t explode Todoroki’s face. “Just like that?”

“Yes.” Todoroki paused before the teen shook his head. “I wanted to be mad at first, that you kept it from us but after I spoke with Iida, I think I understand. We all wanted to find Deku together but then we eventually all had to move on, because we didn’t have the power to do what we needed on our own.”

“I wasn’t looking for understanding, you-” 

“You found a way to find Deku, and on top of that, you actually found proof that he is still out there. Some might be upset with you when we get back but I think everyone is going to be grateful more than anything and now, we can support you. What we should have been doing from the very beginning.” Todoroki didn’t seem to care that he kept interrupting Bakugo and instead reached out to grab the other teen’s arm. “Let us help.”

Bakugo pulled his arm out of Todoroki’s grip, knowing that his face was a bit flushed, and just mumbled whatever as they made it to the man’s house that could supposedly pass off a message to Deku. 

“Hey, Keigo.” Bakugo made sure to extend each syllable in a way that had Hawks glaring at him. “Let me talk to the guy.”

“As if I can stop you.” Hawks sighed and motioned for Bakugo to go in first. The man they were looking for was sitting on the porch with a cat on his lap. He was an older man, probably closer to All Might’s age (whatever that was) and Bakugo made sure to give him a small bow before he smiled. 

“Can you control how big the messages are that you send?” Bakugo already knew what he wanted to say, but he wanted to make sure it came out exactly like he planned. 

The older man blinked for a moment before nodding. “I can’t control where it ends up, it’ll just be near the person wherever they are. But as long as it is on a piece of paper, the message and the paper could be as big as you want.”

“Bakugo, what are you thinking?” Burnin seemed curious, while Todoroki and Hawks both took a step back as Bakugo pulled out a poster size piece of paper with some aggressive looking text on it. 

The older man read the message and blinked before looking at Bakugo. “I thought you said this was for a friend?”

“It is.” Bakugo smiled, knowing that he probably looked a little dangerous then. “He’s the most important person I know.”

And Bakugo was going to make sure that Deku knew he was still looking for him. 

Bakugo was going to bring Deku home. 

No matter what. 

…  
…  
…

Takeda hummed as he was going through all the photos on Deku’s tablet. He had been hoping to make an album for both Eri and for Izuku to have that wasn’t digital but he had so many pictures to choose from and he wasn’t sure what would mean the most to either of them. 

“Takeda-sensei, I’m going to meet up with Asahi-san!” Deku smiled as he passed by the older man. “Saeko is going to meet with us later and I was thinking I could bring her and Ryu back here for a slumber party? You only have a few more months in this apartment after all.” 

Takeda laughed at that, going a little pink. “There are still six months, at the very least. But that’s fine, tell Saeko she needs to bring drinks. She drank the last of it last time she was here.”

Takeda couldn’t believe that he had actually agreed to move in with Ukai into the apartment above the story once the coach’s parents moved out in March. The teacher was beside himself with worry and joy but he couldn’t help be excited at the end of it all. 

They were moving in together. 

“I’ll text when we’re heading back.” Deku shouted before he shut the front door and Takeda couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he glanced at more photos. 

Maybe he could print two of everything and just let Deku and Eri create their own albums with the photos they wanted to use? 

Takeda blinked as a black spot dripped on the table. It barely missed the stack of papers he was supposed to be grading but the teacher was confused. What could possibly make a spot like that? The teached paused as another drop apparead and found himself glancing up before he fell out of his chair in shock. Painted across his ceiling in rather large letters were the words: DEKU. I’M GOING TO FIND YOU, YOU LITTLE SHIT. BE READY OR FUCKING DIE. GROUND ZERO. 

“What the-” Takeda grabbed his phone to call Izuku. 

He didn’t know how to explain this at all. 

…  
...  
…

Mirko sighed as looked at the mess of paper and maps in front of her. Endeavor’s apartment had become a warzone and she was tired. 

“Can I switch jobs with Burnin next time? Let me go babysit Hawks and the teens, and she can deal with this mess.” Mirko paused as she stared at Mera’s card. It had been the one the man handed to Hawks at UA but there was nothing special about it. No secret message or anything. “Why do you think Hawks isn’t being as helpful with the HPSC as he has been with LOV information or the search for Deku?”

Endeavor just sighed as he placed a hot mug of coffee next to her. 

“Do you think he is still working for them or that there is some sense of loyalty still there?” Mirko threw the card on the table and reached for the hot drink. It was already dark outside and that meant it was going to be another late night. 

“I don’t know.” Endeavor admitted. “But he was upfront about the staff and gave us more details about them than I had considered. He might be holding back but he’s still helpful.”

Mirko blew air in Endeavor’s direction as she rolled her eyes. “For someone being so helpful, he had the wrong information about the licensing exam.”

Mirko watched as Endeavor gave her a nod in agreement and she huffed. “I’m not saying he’s a bad guy but I feel like he has the missing piece of information we need. The missing kids were a dead end, literally in some cases. And so far the only thing you really have is that Hawks says Mera said that the HPSC was trying to clean house internally . . . are we supposed to give them a round of applause when we aren’t even sure of what kind of mess they are cleaning?”

“Let’s focus on what we do know.” Endeavor sat down across from Mirko and pulled up his computer. “We knew they were infiltrated by LOV at some point but we have nothing that says they still are.” 

“I need more than that and so do you.” Mirko glanced at her notes. “A lot of things that they used to have their hands in seemed to have gone away after the explosion at their headquarters nearly a decade ago. Maybe that’s when the cleaning house started?”

The door beeped and Mirko’s ears twitched before she grinned as a tired looking Hawks and an aggravated Bakugo came in. “Look what the bastard dragged in, a tired little birdie.”

“More like fried chicken.” Hawks grumbled before he threw himself into the nearest chair, which was next to Endeavor and then groaned. “Now I’m hungry.”

Endeavor just sighed before he passed his computer to Hawks to order food and glanced at Bakugo. “Report.”

Mirko was impressed with how Bakugo could stand straight and scowl at the same time. The blond clicked his tongue but reported nonetheless. “We sent the message off to Deku. No way to confirm if the nerd got it but we can at least know that we tried.”

“Good.” Endeavor sighed before glancing at Hawks who seemed to be putting one of everything in the cart to be delivered. Endeavor didn’t care, he would make sure the younger man ate it all as leftovers if he needed to. “What’s next on the plan?”

Mirko rolled her eyes and hit her foot on the table to get their attention. “Deku’s memorial. Or did all of you forget that the kid has been presumed dead and we’re supposed to be there for the memorial service next week?”

Judging by their faces, they had forgotten. 

Bakugo growled before he ran his hands through his hair. “I’ll need to talk to Deku’s mom.”

“You can’t tell her anything.” Hawks voice seemed to startle Bakugo as the blond looked at him. The teen opened his mouth to argue back but Hawks shook his head. “You can’t give her false hope. Sure, we know he’s alive, but that doesn’t mean we can promise she’ll ever see him again.”

“Fuck you.” Bakugo growled before he stomped off, clearly heading to the door. “I’ll decide what to do for myself and you can just suck it, Keigo.”

With that the door slammed and Bakugo was gone. 

However, suddenly Mirko felt like something clicked in the back of her mind. Her eyes moved to Hawks who was busy looking at the computer as if Bakugo hadn’t just called him some basic name like it was Hawks’ real-

“You little shit!” Mirko grabbed the computer out of Hawks hands as she slammed her foot into his chest causing the chair to tip over so that she was now standing on top of him as he stared at her. Endeavor was right beside her, his flames going high to low as if the older man was trying to decide how to react because they both came to the same conclusion. 

Hawks’ real name was Keigo. Takami Keigo and he was one of the missing children they had been looking for. 

Hawks coughed a bit before he smiled weakly at them. “Would you believe me if I said you had the idea?” 

…  
…  
…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Canon Violence  
> -Swearing  
> -Endeavor and Hawks almost getting laid but then not. Fools.   
> -Todoroki also wants to get laid but is being a good boyfriend.   
> -Bakugo is frustrated.   
> -Ennoshita is brave about his feelings. 
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter! Can't wait to get you the next one. 
> 
> Reviews are always appreciated!


	15. Out where the lightning splits the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deku was alive. 
> 
> Deku wasn’t dead. 
> 
> But they were still remembering him at this stupid memorial him because Bakugo hadn’t been fast enough in bringing him back. The teen clenched his jaw, aggravated by the hard snapping sound his teeth made that caused his classmates around him to flinch. He knew what they were all thinking as they stood and listened to their principal talk. Bakugo could practically feel Uraraka’s gaze on the back of his head telling him to keep his cool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note:   
> So we are definitely in the last few chapters. I finally fleshed out the outline a bit and I think it’ll just be two more chapters!! Almost done! 
> 
> Note: This chapter has a lot of moving parts that will be answered next chapter but also, some solutions this chapter so hopefully everyone will still feel satisfied. 
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

“Thank you for joining us today to honor a lost student, dear friend, and amazing hero, Midoriya Izuku.” Principle Nezu’s voice broke through the wave of black and Bakugo could barely hear anything over the roaring in his own ears. 

Deku was alive. 

Deku wasn’t dead. 

But they were still remembering him at this stupid memorial him because Bakugo hadn’t been fast enough in bringing him back. The teen clenched his jaw, aggravated by the hard snapping sound his teeth made that caused his classmates around him to flinch. He knew what they were all thinking as they stood and listened to their principal talk. Bakugo could practically feel Uraraka’s gaze on the back of his head telling him to keep his cool. 

He was supposed to be grieving. 

Bakugo would never grieve for Deku because Deku wasn’t dead. 

A small hand trembled as it grabbed onto his and Bakugo bit his lip as he felt Inko’s hand hold onto his. The woman had asked him to stand next to her saying that she would feel a little braver with Deku’s friend next to her and the blond had wanted to tell her that her son was alive. Had wanted to hold her and tell her that he was going to fix everything but he hadn’t been able to say the words as he remembered what Hawks had told him. 

Bakugo couldn’t promise her that he could bring Deku back, Deku might be alive but they had no idea where the nerd was. 

The teen could feel his classmates begging him to keep his cool and Bakugo wanted to shout at all of them. He was the top of the fucking class for a reason, he could keep his shit together and not make this day worse for the woman that was basically his aunt. His own mother stood beside Inko, with his dad and Deku’s dad sitting behind the women. Bakugo knew that if he glanced over he would see All Might standing next to his mom and the blond wanted to blast everyone and run away. 

Deku wasn’t dead. 

He just wasn’t here. 

Nezu ended his speech and there was some murmuring as All Might made his way to the stand. It was no secret that All Might cared about all his students but all the heroes in attendance knew that there had been a special relationship between the two. There was a small sniffling noise and Bakugo tightened his grip on Inko’s hand, hoping the woman would feel what he wanted to tell her. 

It would be okay. 

I’ll bring him back, no matter what. 

“...to be the heroes that trainee hero Deku always believed that we could be…” All Might's voice was strong and it resonated across the audience. Hawks stood next to Endeavor and glanced at the man next to him. He knew that Midoriya’s mother and the HPSC had asked Endeavor to sit up front and then to say something, Deku had been his trainee afterall, but Endeavor had turned it down for All Might. 

It was more fitting if All Might was the one to speak, Deku had basically been All Might’s son after all. Not that many people knew. 

The blond fidgeted with his sleeve, hating how suffocating the suit felt. He hadn’t even owned a suit until yesterday when Endeavor had finally broken the uneasiness in the apartment to find Hawks the appropriate clothes. Hawks had tried to stay behind, afterall it wasn’t like he needed to be here but Endeavor refused to let Hawks out of his sight. 

Everything was finally out in the open and Hawks felt like shit. 

There hadn’t been time for Hawks to try to fix anything after Mirko and Endeavor had realized the truth. Hawks had been lying to them the entire time and the blond didn’t regret it. Of course he lied to them, he didn’t want them to know and he hadn’t felt that they needed to know the truth. 

It wouldn’t change anything. 

But then it had. 

Hawks told them everything. About his parents, about the HPSC and how they found him. What it was like growing up in a facility and any time he tried to make light of it Mirko had ended up destroying a piece of furniture. Endeavor never stopped her and instead just sat across from Hawks and listened. 

Hawks told them about Touya, about his friend who was too powerful and ended up dying tragically. Mirko had already known about Endeavor’s son turn villain, but it had been hard to try and get the words across with Endeavor in the room. Hawks had never planned to tell the man. 

Hawks hadn’t wanted to see Endeavor’s face when the truth came out. 

But Hawks should have been used to not getting things his way. The blond explained everything, how the HPSC had been tracking the League longue before it became known as the League. How he had done things that would not have been possible if he had been an above the board hero but because he wasn’t, and he was never meant to be, the blond had been able to join the LOV as a double agent. 

His relationship with the HPSC had ended in the hospital room after the Jaku General Hospital incident and Hawks ended his story there. Thankfully they hadn’t pushed further and Hawks hadn’t known what he would have done if Endeavor had demanded he continue. 

Mirko ranted and raved, pissed at Hawks and pissed at herself. She had considered him a friend, when Hawks was 18 and breaking in and she hadn’t seen the signs. Endeavor had ended the conversation there and had made plans to meet up with Mirko later to go over it all later. The bunny hero had given Hawks a hug then, a sign of forgiveness that the blond didn’t deserve, before he had knocked the wind out of him with a kick to the gut and then she had left.

The rest of the time in the apartment had been nothing but frozen silence as Endeavor had thought over Hawks words and Hawks had waited for his punishment. In the end, none of it came because Deku’s memorial was suddenly upon them. 

It was suffocating. 

Hawks glanced up to see Shoto glancing back towards him and Endeavor. The blond wanted to wave or smile or anything that could hide his real emotions but the weight of Endeavor’s presence next to him kept him from moving. 

All Might's speech finished and there was silence before Eraserhead took the mic to close out the ceremony. UA would be available for questions but the families and students would be going home and they appreciate everyone’s patience. 

It was flat and stilted and judging by the amount of people crying in the audience, no where near as passionate as Deku deserved. 

…  
…  
…

Deku stared at the now permanent stain on Takeda’s ceiling and couldn’t believe it. 

After Deku had taken all the possible pictures, Takeda had tried to clean the dripping ink to try and save his deposit from the apartment he was going to move out of but it turned out that no matter how much soap was used, the message stayed. 

At least it wasn’t dripping anymore. 

Deku could hear Kacchan’s voice screaming the words in his ear and the teen found himself flushing as he thought of the blond. 

Kacchan was still looking for him. 

Kacchan was going to get him home. 

Deku had already called Eri to let her know what had happened and the woman had been in shock. Thankfully Lev had been nearby and the two of them were going to come visit later so that she could take a look at it and also take the remaining samples of ink (that Deku had saved from Takeda’s cleaning spree) and take it to work with her. 

After Deku had hung up the phone he had cried. He had almost been ashamed by reaction but he had been so overwhelmed with so many emotions he hadn’t been able to stop the tears even as Takeda had tried to calm him down. 

Kacchan was coming. 

Kacchan was coming to get him. 

He needed to be ready. 

…  
…  
…

Hawks stumbled as he kicked off the dress shoes at the doorway. He didn’t bother making a show as he took off the jacket and loosened the tie, Endeavor’s silence was suffocating him all the way back to the apartment and he needed to breathe. He needed air. 

He needed to fly. 

If Endeavor noticed how uncomfortable Hawks was, the older man didn’t say anything, just went to the living and sat in one of the chairs before covering his face with his hands. Hawks threw the jacket on the couch and went for his gloves next, pulling them off quickly so he could undo his cuffs. 

“You were there that night, in the warehouse.” Endeavor’s voice was quiet and it made Hawks pause before the younger man slid off the rest of his last glove. 

Hawks had never missed his wings so much. The man clenched the side of the couch with his now bare hands before he tried to smile at Endeavor. “Endeavor-san, I’ve been to a lot of warehouses. You’ll have to be-”

“Shoto thought he saw a man that night, when he had been taken by Dabi.” Endeavor cut Hawks off but the man didn’t sound mad. He sounded tired. “When you told us your story things finally started to make sense. Why you disappeared. How you were so certain Dabi was dead.”

Hawks felt like his throat was closing up as he stared at the man he admired, faults and all, and wondered if this was the breaking point. This was it for them, wasn’t it? Take away all the secrets and Hawks couldn’t make himself work in Enji’s life. 

Couldn’t even hope to. 

Endeavor sighed and Hawks flinched as the man finally looked at him. “That night, is that when your hands were burned? I want the truth, Hawks.” 

The truth. 

Hawks clenched his teeth together in a pained smile before he had to look away from Endeavor’s face. The younger man couldn’t breathe. 

The truth. 

Hawks was never good with the truth. 

“Hawks.” Endeavor’s voice sounded like it was under water and Hawks tried to lift his head but he couldn’t breathe. He felt a warm hand on his neck and let out a pained twittering noise as his body reacted in panic. 

He couldn’t breathe. 

He wasn’t ready for this to end. For this to be it. 

“Hawks, keep your head down and take a deep breath.” Endeavor’s voice was deep in his ear and Hawks shuddered. He wanted to make a joke but all that came out were the stupid bird noises that he had worked so hard to keep in check. If Endeavor minded he didn’t say anything because the man was pulling Hawks over to the couch and making Hawks sit before a large hand on the back of Hawks’ head made the blonde lean forward. “Deep breaths. It will be okay.”

“It won’t.” Hawks finally managed to get the words out and the blond took a deep breath as he pushed himself up so that he could get into Endeavor’s space and look the man in the eye. Endeavor seemed surprised by the movement but Hawks didn’t stop. This was it. 

The truth. 

“I killed Dabi that night. While you and Shoto were fighting for your lives, I used you as a distraction to stab him in the back.” Hawks kept his focus on Endeavor’s face, waiting for the inevitable rejection. The shame. “I’ve killed so many people, Endeavor-san. Murdered. And I don’t regret a single one.”

“Hawks-” Endeavor started and Hawks shook his head as he gripped Endeavor’s collar. 

“I was going to fix this. I was going to fix everything before I left and then I was going to disappear forever but you always want more, don’t you?” Hawks felt a little hysterical and he wished he could shut up. Endeavor hadn’t been the one that wanted more, it had been Hawks. Hawks had wanted as much of Endeavor as he could get and now it was going to be over. The blond knew he would regret his next words. “You want the truth, Endeavor-san? I killed your son.”

Hawks sucked in his breath and suddenly couldn’t speak anymore. 

Endeavor just stared for a moment before he grabbed Hawks’ wrists and plied Hawks’ hands off his shirt before making the blond sit back so that there was more space between them. Hawks chittered at the rejection, but Endeavor never let go of him. Instead the man reached out for Hawks once more. Endeavor’s hand rubbed the side of Hawk’s cheek as if brushing away the tears that weren’t there before the older man finally spoke. 

“Touya died a long time ago. He died the day I left him with the HPSC because it was easier to neglect a child by letting them go off than it was for me to keep him at home.” The bitterness and self hatred in Endeavor’s voice was louder than anything else. Hawks wanted to argue, wanted to say something but Endeavor shook his head. “I will spend the rest of my life with regret for what I did to my family and what I made them lose, if anyone is to blame for Touya’s death it is me. Dabi . . . Dabi was not Touya.”

Endeavor pressed his thumb over Hawks’ lips to keep the younger man from talking. “Hawks . . . Keigo . . . thank you for saving Shoto’s life. I was willing to die back in the warehouse, but if Shoto had died as well then-”

“I killed Dabi for myself.” Hawks whispered, trying to make the older man see. Endeavor just regarded the blond for a moment, his thumb pressing against Hawks’ lips again to keep the younger man silent. 

They stared at each other for a moment, Hawks trying to think of what he needed to say to make Endeavor see while Endeavor just stared back at him. 

“I don’t believe you.” Endeavor words made Hawks feel broken in a completely different way. 

“You might have gone after Dabi because he was chasing you, but I don’t believe you would have killed him just to save yourself. You don’t value yourself enough to do that.” Endeavor’s voice was flat, almost bored as he said the words. 

Hawks took a deep breath as he stared at the older man, feeling the adrenaline from the conversation start to slow down as Endeavor saw him. 

Really saw him. 

…  
…  
...

The stadium in Tokyo was huge and Deku found himself staring at it in awe. The Karasuno team was running around, everyone making sure they had their tickets and Deku found himself drawn to the large screen outside that showed a giant image of Bokuto spiking a ball. 

He really was a professional volleyball player. 

“Izuku!” Hinata tackled Deku from behind with a giant smile. “Let’s go get our seats. You have to sit next to me so that I can explain what is happening in the game like WHAM! And POOF!”

“No one wants to sit next to you.” Kageyama sighed as he walked towards the stadium and then Hinata chased after the setter. Deku just laughed as he made his way to the group, knowing that he had been acting off for a bit but unsure of how to explain why. 

Takeda-sensei thought it would be a good idea to tell the group that Deku could leave any day but Deku wasn’t ready yet. He felt like he had finally gotten to know everyone and it seemed too soon to say goodbye. 

Especially since this goodbye would most likely be permanent. 

Ukai had gotten the team tickets for the big match. Apparently it wasn’t just Bokuto-san that everyone was excited about but another player named Ushiwaka was playing for the other team. Hinata considered himself a disciple of Bokuto and clearly had some history with Ushiwaka. When the team talked about the other player for too long both Hinata and Kageyama would get a weird look on their face that had Deku worried. 

Deku grabbed his small go back, a backpack that now officially carried with him at all times in case Kacchan showed up. The teen smiled as he caught up to Ennoshita who was in the middle of explaining where their seats were located to Tanaka. 

“Just make sure everyone gets to the C section and we should be fine.” Ennoshita sighed and Tanaka laughed with a salute before running off. Ennoshita smiled at Deku before pointing to the stadium. “As you can see it’s pretty crowded, make sure you keep your phone on you in case we get separated.”

“Actually . . .” Deku eyed the crowd and motioned towards the side of the building. “I think I’m going to stay out here a bit longer and get some air. I’m still feeling a bit motion sick from the bus ride.”

Ennoshita nodded in understanding, considering Saeko was the one who drove the team to Tokyo. 

Deku found a spot in the shade and took a deep breath. He was going to have dinner with Eri later and he needed to be in a better place. He knew the longer he was distracted the more his friends would be concerned about him but . . . 

Kacchan was coming to get him. 

Deku wondered if there was anything that he needed to do to help Kacchan but he hadn’t gotten any more messages. 

At least, not that he knew of. 

Deku found himself muttering as he tried to think of what could happen. Should he go to the ocean? That is where he and Eri came to this world or was Bakugo coming another way? Maybe Bakugo and figured out a special portal? 

Or a new quirk?

“Wow, that muttering is creepy.” Deku flinched as he noticed a tall redhead standing next to him. The thin and pale man definitely stood over Deku but he didn’t seem threatening, just curious. “You know the game is about to start, right?” 

“Oh!” Deku perked up, before he glanced at his phone to see he had missed messages. “Thanks, I should probably head in.” 

“Hn.” The redhead agreed and Deku eyed the man as they made it to the entrance together. The teen didn’t know if he should thank the man again or not but stopped as a rather bulky volleyball player started walking in their direction. 

“Miracle boy!” The red smiled brightly and despite the empty expression on the volleyball player’s face, a small smile formed and Deku felt embarrassed as the two hugged. The red head already seemed to have forgotten Deku and the two started walking away. “Wakatoshi, coming to greet me himself. I feel honored.”

“You’re late, Satori.” The player’s voice was deep but that was all Deku was able to hear before he made his way up the stairwell to find his friends. 

He laughed to himself a bit as he thought about asking class A to play volleyball with him when he got back. He wondered if they would be up for it. 

If they might learn to love it as much as he was learning to. 

…  
…  
…

Bakugo threw his suit jacket on the couch in the common room before grabbing his bag. Everyone had split up after the memorial and Bakugo had run back to the dorms to grab his bag before he was going to ride with his family and Inko back to the Bakugo home. 

“You shouldn’t be alone today.” Todoroki’s deadpan voice irritated Bakugo’s nerves as the blond turned to glare at the icy-hot bastard. “We might know the truth but I don’t like you leaving school grounds without some-”

“Fuck off.” Bakugo rolled his eyes before he sighed, thinking about how much help Todoroki had actually been recently. “I don’t need a chaperone but don’t worry, I got fucking All Might. No one is going to mess with him, even after retirement he’s proven himself.”

Bakugo passed Todoroki before sighing and grabbing the other teen’s shoulder. “Listen, I know everyone else knows the truth but make sure these assholes don’t get too sad. I’ll be back tomorrow and if I find out all of you shits just stayed up and cried the rest of the day I’ll be pissed.”

Todoroki smirked a bit and Bakugo shoved him away before he stomped out of the house. The blond didn’t have time for whatever ‘caring about his classmates’ bullshit that Todoroki had been about to mention. It didn’t take long for him to find his parents and Inko. All Might still stood above everyone in his skeletal form and it made Bakugo roll his eyes as they waved at him. Inko grabbed his hand as soon as he was next to her and Bakugo allowed it seeing how her eyes were still puffy from earlier. 

When he brought Deku back he was going to make the shit move back home.

“Thank you.” Inko’s voice was soft and Bakugo wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they got in the back seat and proceeded to glare at All Might to make sure the man didn’t say anything. Inko just laughed softly as she leaned her head against Bakugo’s shoulder. “Oh, you took your jacket off. You had looked so nice with it on.”

“Just be glad he kept it on for as long as he did!” Bakugo’s mom laughed and the blond found himself rolling his eyes before he glanced over at his dad. 

“Old man, where’s Deku’s deadbeat dad?” As soon as the words were out Inko hit him lightly in the side but she was smiling so Bakugo knew she wasn’t really mad. 

“Don’t call him that.” Inko sighed. “He is taking care of some paperwork at the school for me.”

Bakugo knew that Deku’s dad wasn’t a bad man, in fact the man clearly did everything he could for his family even after the divorce, but Bakugo figured he would always give the old man a hard time. Deku and Inko never seemed to mind so he figured he had free rein. 

It didn’t take long for them to make it back to his childhood home and Bakugo had a moment to think about how weird it was, that it was normal for All Might to be at his home. Let alone that Inko basically lived there now with her ex-husband staying in her apartment. 

“Katsuki, can you run in and fix the light in the bathroom. I forgot to ask your dad about it before we left this morning.” His mom didn’t even let him out of the car before he was assigned work but Bakugo just rolled his eyes as his parents and Inko, with poor All Might, started talking about some plan for the afternoon. He didn’t know why they wanted to stay outside but he wasn’t going to force them inside as he made his way through the door. 

The weather was nice outside, maybe he could whip up something light to eat for them to enjoy outside after he fixed the light. 

“Hey, ha-” Bakugo didn’t even finish shouting at his mom before he noticed a slight shine to his left and he blasted his parents’ living room instantly hearing the window shatter. He heard a girl laughing and was about to turn and shout at her before there was a hand on the back of his neck, three fingers gripping him tightly. 

“Bakugo.” Shigaraki’s voice was bored and Bakugo could hear his mom shouting outside and hoped that All Might was getting his parents out of here as he turned to the white haired bastard that just glared back at him. “Where is Deku? Where is One For All?” 

…  
…  
…

Lev fiddled with his phone, frowning a bit before he glanced at his team. They were all doing their warm-down stretches and he had been thinking of his last conversation with his mother. 

She wasn’t going to go back with Deku, she wanted to stay with her family and stay in the life that she had made here. Lev hadn’t understood, his mother’s world seemed too exciting with people and their special quirks. He had even thought about asking to go with her, so he could finally meet the men she had considered her fathers but she had said no. 

No. 

“Lev, you don’t even want to go.” Kenma, the person Lev had gone crying to and had received no sympathy from sighed. 

“I do.” Lev tried again but Kenma just kicked him harshly in the side and the teen groaned as he rolled away. 

“So you’re just going to leave us in the middle of our season?” Kenma paused as he blinked a bit. “I’m sure we would do fine in Tokyo without you . . .”

“Can’t you be a little nicer?” Lev groaned, still rubbing his sighed. 

“Why?” Kenma put his legs out in front of him and started to stretch out to touch his toes. “If you’re going to abandon us then there is no point. Leave your friends, your team, your family-”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Lev sighed as he flopped on the ground. “But don’t you want to see that world? After seeing those videos, don’t you want to see it in action?”

Kenma seemed to think about it before he shook his head. “Seems dangerous. I’ll stick with my video games.”

Lev laughed a bit then and closed his eyes. His mom was right and Kenma was right. He wasn’t going to leave his family and friends, wasn’t going to leave his team and volleyball behind. 

Wasn’t going to give up on trying to win Yaku’s heart. 

But he could still think about it. 

“Hey, Kenma.” Lev sat up as he thought about his mom’s decision and found himself smiling at his friend. “You have a fancy camera, right? For recording things?”

Kenma looked like he was ready to deny it but Lev just shoved the setter over. “I need you to do me a favor, please?”

Lev took Kenma’s sigh as a yes. 

…  
…  
…

“I know he’s alive but that memorial service was depressing.” Ojiro sighed as he sat back on the couch. He frowned as he realized he was sitting on Bakugo’s jacket but he was honestly too tired to move. 

“There is always a chance Bakugo won’t be able to get him back and then the memorial service was the best we were going to get.” Todoroki stated and then had to duck down as a few pieces of paper were thrown at him. He sighed as Iida pulled him out of the way of the last piece and he found himself leaning against his boyfriend. “I’m just stating-”

“Let’s talk about something else.” Mina laughed as she sat down next to Todoroki and jabbed him a few times before Iida stopped her. “Oh, who had a crush on Deku in our first year?”

“What are you-” Uraraka stopped, her face going red as everyone raised their hands making Mina cheer. Uraraka couldn’t believe it. “Really? All of us?”

“Oui.” Aoyama sighed. “He was very charming.”

“And plain!” Uraraka pointed out and blushed as Tsui sat next to her. 

“I’m pretty sure you were the one that liked him the most in our first year.” Iida betrayed Uraraka in front of the entire class making the girl blush even brighter. The blue hair teen seemed to not notice as he sighed. “I admit that I also found him appealing.”

“Wow, class A is in love with Deku.” Monoma looked like he was about to say something else but was silenced by Shinso biting his ear. 

Everyone laughed before suddenly Kirishima’s phone started beeping. The teen groaned as he pulled it out of his pocket before his eyes went wide. “Turn on the TV!”

“Kirishima, what-”

“TURN ON THE TV!”

...  
…  
…

Tanaka stood off to the side as he drank some water. What was supposed to be a casual practice match with Nekomata (with them visiting Karasuno this time) and quickly devolved into an all out war with non stop volleys. The spiker was tired and when he glanced at the clock he realized that they had been playing nonstop for nearly two hours. 

He was so tired. 

“Kageyama!” Ennoshita’s voice echoed in the gym and Tanaka found himself smiling as his captain spiked the ball only to frown when Tora received it. 

“Do you need more water?” Yachi startled Tanaka and the teen laughed, remembering how he used to startle her only a year ago. 

“Thanks.” Tanaka grabbed the water bottle from her with a grin before his eyes made it back to the court. The volley continued and Tanka groaned. “Tora is nearly as aggravating as Kuroo was.” 

The ball finally landed in front of Hinata who had tripped and all the players had basically fallen on the ground in relief as they had a chance to catch their breath. Tanaka laughed, turning to see Yachi smiling at him before she glanced down, she took a deep breath before looking up at him again. “Do you know what is wrong with Izuku?”

Tanaka pretended to sip his water again as he glanced around the gym for the teen only to see that Izuku was missing, and so was Lev. He let the water bottle drop as he smiled at Yachi. “What do you mean?”

“He gave me all his volleyball notebooks.” Yachi pointed over to a bag near the bench. “He has been working on this for months and he suddenly handed them over. Is he leaving?”

Tanaka groaned inwardly, not sure what to say. “I don’t think so?”

“But it’s odd, right?” Yachi sighed, putting her hand on her hips. “Maybe-”

“TIME!” Coach Ukai’s shout started everyone in the gym before the man laughed, coach Nekomata laughing next to him. “Everyone do your stretches, next match is in fifteen minutes!”

“Sorry, Yachi.” Tanaka gave her back the water bottle and ran on the court, sending his thanks to coach Ukai even as his body whined at him. 

…  
…  
…

His family home was on fire. 

Bakugo growled at the man across from him, he knew Shigiraki wasn’t alone. The white-haired bastard never did anything alone, but Bakugo didn’t have the luxury of taking his eyes off the man. It had taken more power than he had anticipated to break free but those explosions had destroyed his family’s home. 

He hoped his mother forgave him. 

He hoped All Might had taken everyone to safety. 

“Hey boss, helicopters are on their way.” Toga’s voice shouted and it sounded like she was in a backroom. Bakugo widened his stance so that he ready another attack and frowned as Shigiraki visibly slumped at the news. 

“You know you can’t beat me on our own.” Shigiraki’s voice was annoyed and Bakugo sent off an explosion anyway only to be slammed against the nearest wall with a blast of air. 

Fuck. 

“I’m tired of the games. Where is One For All?” There was a flash and Bakugo managed to shove himself off the wall before the black sharp wires ripped it apart. The blond rolled and grabbed his own wrist, ready to fire another shot but ducked at the last moment as a knife flew past his head. 

“Oh, it’s Kacchan!” Toga’s voice was sickly sweet and Bakugo had to hold back at shouting at her to shut up, knowing that she was just a distraction. 

No one else was allowed to call him that. 

No one but Deku. 

“Spinner said we’re on the news and back up is coming.” Toga gave her boss a salute as she tried to stab Bakugo but the blond stayed out of her reach. She smiled brightly when Bakugo flipped back. “This brings back memories, doesn’t it Kacchan?”

“Fuck you-” Bakugo was sliced in the side by a black tendril and growled as he held out both his arms and blasted as much was he could. 

His arms hurt. 

He could feel the muscles tensing before he finally stopped so that he could pull out the broken tendril. He threw it on the ground as he heard the house he was in creaking, the fire was out of control now and Bakugo found himself swearing as he sent another blast towards the villains and jumped out of the front window to get out of the building. 

The glass cut his skin but he didn’t let that stop him as he turned to take them on once again. Bakugo readied his hands, happy to see that his parents, Inko, and All Might were out of sight and it was clear that the neighborhood had already started getting evacuated. 

He was going to blow up. 

Destroy them both. 

It was their faults that Deku was gone, it was their fucking faults and they have the nerve to search for him? Bakugo fought through the sharp pain as he held his arm up only for black lightning to spark around the burning building. The black flickers were the only warning the blond got before suddenly Bakugo was flying back due a massive explosion. 

Fuck. 

The blond knew his clothes were shot and wished he had been in his costume instead. His back was going to be scraped to hell and he was not looking forward to Recovery Girl’s scolding. 

He needed to get up. 

He needed to kill the bastard. 

Bakugo growled, ignoring how the world spun for a moment as he forced himself up to his feet, rolling so that he could maneuver out of the way. He could see white hair in the wind and the blond wondered where Toga had gone as he leaned towards the ground, preparing to run at the bastard. 

He could do it. 

He could take Shigaraki out now. 

“Ground Zero, down!” A booming voice had Bakugo falling forward as he stared wide eyes as energy in the shape of springs slammed into the ground. He found himself pushing himself up, ready to get into the fight before he felt a tug against his body and realized he was stuck to the ground. 

What the fuck?

Bakugo glanced down to purple balls trapping him to the pavement and felt utter confusion before suddenly there was the gasping face of Mineta, in his Grape Juice glory, standing by him. The teen stared at him with wide eyes as if he was also shocked to see Bakugo but instead of saying something to the blond the purple bastard put his hand to his ear and started talking to someone else. “We made it in time, we’re getting Bakugo out of here. Nejire-chan is taking care of-”

“Shit!” A rather foul mouthed Nejire flew through the air before the girl got her balance. 

“Please tell me help is on the way!” Mineta’s voice shouted into his comm and Bakugo hissed as he used his sweat to separate himself from the sticky substance, something that he had learned to do in his first year before he shoved the teen out of the way. “Bakugo, wait-”

Bakugo ducked as another knife flew over his head and rolled as he moved forward, keeping an eye out for Shigaraki. He was going to kill the bastard. 

“Oh, so passionate.” Toga laughed as she got into his face, slicing his arm before she jumped out of the way of his blast. “Will you tell me where Deku is? If I say pretty pretty please?”

“He’s fucking dead!” Bakugo was able to get her to stumble back. “Why don’t you-”

“I don’t believe you.” Shigiraki’s voice was so close. Bakugo felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he started to turn, knowing that a hand was going to be reaching out for him because he had to try. 

He could get away. 

He could win. 

“Prominence burn!” Endeavor’s voice was deafening and the heat was unbearable. Bakugo couldn’t breathe with the sudden blast but he didn’t have a chance to even realize what was happening because suddenly he was out on the street, Burnin holding him up as his own body couldn’t even stand. 

“You’re okay.” Burnin’s voice was soft and Bakugo didn’t understand why but when he glanced up he realized that both Mineta and Nejire were gone. 

Had that been a hallucination. 

“You’re crazy.” Burnin was wrapping a blanket around Bakugo that was cool against his skin and the teen finally blinked at her. She realized he was staring and smiled. “Your family is safe, All Might got them out and called Endeavor immediately. We came as soon as we could.”

Bakugo nodded, watching as Endeavor landed in the burning yard and he watched as the older man clenched his fists. 

Shigiraki was gone. 

Most likely had transported out as soon as Endeavor got there. 

“Fuck.” Bakugo glanced up before turning to Burnin. “Did you see Nejire-chan? Or Grape Juice?”

“Who the fuck is Grape Juice?” Burnin stood up and started waving people over as more vehicles started to show up. The woman then glanced back to Bakugo. “Isn’t Nejire-chan in the US? I thought she was a New York hero?”

Bakugo blinked and found himself closing his eyes as a headache started coming. 

What the fuck was going on?

…  
…  
…

Endeavor glanced at his watch as he made it up the elevator. His talk with Hawks hadn’t been over when he had gotten a call from All Might. He had run out the balcony in full blast, knowing the other man would understand and feeling hollow that he couldn’t have Hawks at his side. 

Bakugo was safe and Burnin had made sure to check the blond into the hospital before Endeavor had made his way back home. 

Shigiraki had escaped but Endeavor had been more concerned for Bakugo’s safety at that moment. Now that things had settled the number one hero realized that he would need to reach out to Best Jeanist and the HPSC. This was the first open attack that Shigiraki had done in over a year and Endeavor did not like what that could possibly mean. 

The man paused as he made it to his door and wondered for a brief moment if Hawks would be waiting for him. 

Or would the man have left?

Endeavor put in his code and opened the door. He hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath until he saw the blond sitting on the couch and watching the news. Endeavor’s figure was flying on the screen and the older man wondered if Hawks had even heard him come in with the way the blond’s eyes were glued to the screen. 

“Is Bakugo okay?” Hawks' voice was soft and Endeavor made sure to nod as he threw his costume bag on the ground, glad that Burnin had brought it to him at the hospital. 

“His ego is bruised.” Endeavor ran a hand through his hair before he made his way over to the younger man. “Did you see-”

“There was some footage that was lost, some sort of technical difficulties but they all started working again when you showed up.” Hawks smirked a bit as he looked at the other man but Endeavor could tell it was strained. “You always look sexy in that skin tight-”

“Bakugo said an American Hero showed up and some old classmate.” Endeavor interrupted with a sigh. “I thought I saw someone else fighting when I showed up but they were gone when I was done.”

“Hmm.” Hawks glanced at the tv and Endeavor knew that meant that Hawks would look into it. The man never left anything alone and Endeavor didn’t want him to. Hawks smiled again as Endeavor showed up on the screen. “You know, this new costume really shows off your a-”

“Is your flirting real or a distraction?” The words came out before the older man realized but he didn’t take them back as he stared at the younger man. They had finished their conversation but they hadn’t finished figuring out where they were. 

Endeavor was almost afraid to figure out where he wanted them to be. 

Hawks snapped his mouth shut as he stared at the older man before a blush spread across the younger man’s cheeks. Endeavor was taken back by the innocent reaction and moved to give Hawks space but the younger man reached out and grabbed Endeavor’s hand, staring at the older man intently. Endeavor opened his mouth but before he could say anything he was pulled onto the couch. Endeavor barely balanced himself before Hawks was in his lap and the younger man was grabbing Endeavor’s hands and placing them on his own hips so that the larger man was holding him. 

“Endeavor-san, my flirting may be a distraction but I promise, I promise with you it is always genuine.” Hawks hand lifted up slowly almost as if he was afraid to touch before when Enji didn’t move away the younger man ran a hand against the side of Endeavor’s face. Hawk’s thumb brushing against the scar. “Is this--is it . . .can I?”

“Hawks . . . Keigo.” Endeavor paused before one of his hands left Hawks’ hips to hold the younger man’s hand that was pressed against his face. “Are you sure you-”

Enji was interrupted by rough lips that were dry. Their stubble brush against each other and Enji had a moment of realization that he was kissing a man but it didn’t matter because Hawks was making a desperate twittering noise as they separated for a brief moment. 

“I shouldn’t-” Hawks’ breath was warm against Endeavor’s lips but the older man didn’t let the blond continue as he deepened the kiss. 

They probably shouldn’t be doing this. 

But-

But Endeavor wasn’t going to stop. Not now, not when they were finally on the same page after all this time. Both his hands found themselves against Hawks hips and Endeavor pulled back to get some air only to groan as Hawks kissed his neck. 

“You’re not allowed to leave.” Enji felt childish for saying the words out loud but he needed to say them. Hawks’ mouth kissed Enji’s neck one more time before the blond pulled back and stared at Enji. 

Endeavor knew he had to look like a mess. HIs hair felt out of his place and his skin felt flushed and warm. Hawks just keened before the blond finally nodded. 

“I’ll stay.” 

…  
…  
…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Hawks and Endeavor kiss finally  
> -Talk of murder  
> -canon violence 
> 
> Thank you everyone for your reviews, they've really been appreciated. This story has been, for lack of a better word, an endeavor but it has also been a good time. I'm excited to nearing the end of it all but I'm also sad because this has been a fun challenge.


	16. I could swear there is someone, somewhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Might apparently had an estate. 
> 
> Bakugo stared at the giant McMansion with disdain. He had been dragged out of the hospital by his mother after Recovery Girl had given her official permission and the blond had been hoping to go back to his dorms so that he could talk with his classmates but it was also nice to see that his family would have a roof over their head for the time being. Even if the building was needlessly ugly. 
> 
> “Fuck, All Might, why?” Bakugo could feel his lip curling and wondered if Deku had ever seen this place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:   
> This chapter is an attempt to explain a lot of things without bogging the story down. There are a lot of moving parts but we are getting there! 
> 
> Author’s Note:   
> I’m really excited to be nearing the conclusion but also sad. I feel like I could honestly spread things out a bit more but I would rather keep the story moving in a way that I feel is interesting so that y’all (and myself) don’t get bored with it. I can officially say now there are only two chapters left. I’ll do my best!
> 
> Also, I'm currently thinking of my next fic which I think will be in MHA again but a regency era AU. Apologies to Jane Austen and Bridgerton, haha. 
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

“Thanks for not dying, brat.” Mitsuki’s voice was harsh but Bakugo could tell by the way his mom trembled when she hugged him that she had been scared. He hated how close they had all been to being in Shigiraki’s path. His mom kept her hand on his head for a moment before she pulled back with a smile. “Just wait till you see where we’re staying now!”

All Might apparently had an estate. 

Bakugo stared at the giant McMansion with disdain. He had been dragged out of the hospital by his mother after Recovery Girl had given her official permission and the blond had been hoping to go back to his dorms so that he could talk with his classmates but it was also nice to see that his family would have a roof over their head for the time being. Even if the building was needlessly ugly. 

“Fuck, All Might, why?” Bakugo could feel his lip curling and wondered if Deku had ever seen this place. 

“Bakugo, my boy!” All Might was smiling as he directed the teen inside. “I’m glad you are all right and that you’re here. Let me show you where your parents-”

“Oh, Katsuki, I’m so sorry!” Inko was suddenly at Bakugo’s side as she grabbed his arms and gave him a once over, as if she could find some injury that Recovery Girl would miss. The blond let her move him around, the same way his own mother had in the hospital and he found himself closing his eyes. 

He couldn’t do this. 

He couldn’t lie to her anymore. 

“Inko-obason, I need to talk to you.” Bakugo glanced at his mom who seemed surprised before he glanced at All Might. “All of you.” 

It was time they knew. 

Inko cried at the news of everything Bakugo had been up to but she never let go of his hand and Bakugo took it as a good sign. His own parents had been shocked and hopeful and All Might had stood to the side. 

Bakugo had stared at the old man and had wondered at the man’s reaction. All Might had never seemed surprised through Bakugo’s explanation and the blond wanted to call the older man out on it but he wouldn’t, not in front of the parents. 

But All Might knew. 

Bakugo wasn’t sure how much, but it was clear All Might knew something. 

Unfortunately the blond didn’t get a chance to corner the old man before he was sent back to UA. The teen rolled his eyes at the fact that Aizawa was waiting for him outside of All Might’s home but he figured the school wasn’t going to take any chances with him anymore. 

How many incidents had he been in this year alone?

“I don’t need a babysitter.” Bakugo sighed as he made his way to the car. 

“Let’s disagree.” Aizawa held the passenger door open for Bakugo before going around to the driver’s seat. The blond opened his mouth, ready to defend himself - after all, he never asked to be attacked in his own home . . . Bakugo never asked for these things - but he paused as the teacher turned the wrong way out of All Might’s estate. “The school is the other way.”

“That would matter if we were going to the school.” Aizawa sighed and Bakugo stared at the older man. 

“Where the fuck-”

“It’s about time I bring you in the loop.” Aizawa huffed and Bakugo continued to stare at the man, not sure what he meant. Aizawa just sighed before he continued. “Do you really think you were the only one looking for them all this time?”

Bakugo blinked at the man. 

“You told me-”

“I told you to move on, because that is what a good teacher would have told you.” Aizawa continued driving as if he wasn’t blindsiding Bakugo with information that the blond had wanted six months ago. The teacher turned to Bakugo when the light turned red. “Did you honestly think that I wouldn’t be looking for my daughter this entire time?”

Bakugo didn’t know what to think. He had honestly felt that AIzawa had been determined to move on and had moved past it all, not willing to challenge another man’s grief. 

Apparently Bakugo should have been paying better attention. 

The rest of the ride was in silence before they pulled up to a nondescript building in the city. It looked like a normal business but it didn’t actually state what the business was for. Bakugo found him hesitating as he got out of the car for a moment before he made his way inside. Everything was plain and basic, a guard at the front desk who didn’t stop them as they made their way past before getting in an elevator. 

“Why didn’t you ask me to help you?” Bakugo decided to get to the point and Aizawa remained silent. “You knew what I was doing, you had to know what I’ve been up to.”

“I didn’t want to stop you or Hawks, just in case my method didn’t work.” Aizawa motioned for Bakugo to follow him as they made it out of the elevator. “Yes, I know about what you and Hawks have been up to. I decided to leave you at it but I hadn’t realized how in the open you would be and for that, I’m sorry.”

“Shigaraki destroying my parent’s home has nothing to do-” Bakugo started but was cut off when they entered a room and he suddenly found his arms filled with a rather curvy blond girl. 

“You’re here!” Bakugo blinked again as Melissa Shield smiled at him. “Just in time too, I need to hook you to the machine.” 

“What the-” Bakugo went with her as she pulled him into the room and he stared wide-eyed at the giant room that was filled with wires and machinery. He found himself looking at a wall that had pictures of Deku and numbers listed next to it along with a picture of Eri that had far fewer numbers. He spotted purple and found himself staring at the two people he had seen the previous day. “You shits.”

Nejire-chan was in civilian clothes, a cute dress that brought out her figure with her long hair falling down her back. She had been a celebrated new hero on the scene in the States and the teen still had no idea what she was doing here. Beside her, in his short glory, was Mineta - the UA drop out that Denki kept in touch with even after he hand transferred away. Bakugo wasn’t sure where Mineta had gone, hadn’t really cared, but seeing him yesterday had startled him. 

“When Mineta left UA, his parents sent him to the States. He apparently interned at the same hero agency Nejire was at during his second year.” Aizawa provided background but Bakugo didn’t care, instead, what he really cared about were the two others that were standing in the group. Aizawa sighed. 

“Oh, finally joining the party?” Monoma smiled brightly, he was wearing some weird outfit that seemed glued against his body as he leaned against Shinso’s side. 

“They were part of this?” Bakugo hissed at his teacher but before the older man could speak, the door to the room swung open and All Might in all his retired glory entered the room. 

“I am late!” All Might laughed before he paused at the face that Bakugo was making. Bakugo did not like feeling like he had been out of the loop, honestly forced out of the loop from the people he respected. 

He was fucking furious. 

“Bakugo!” Mineta was waving his hands as if trying to calm the teen down. “We’re all here to get Deku and Eri back, right? Why are you so angry?”

“If he’s angry, then I’m fucking pissed.” Hawks interrupted Bakugo before he could say anything and that’s when Bakugo realized the blond had come into the room with All Might. “How about someone get us up to speed so we can get the job done.” 

…  
…  
…

Deku tapped his pen against the counter at Ukai’s shop. 

Two weeks. 

It had been two weeks since he had gotten Kacchan’s message and nothing had changed since. Deku had done everything he could to be prepared and to remain ready for Kacchan at any moment but he hadn’t realized how much life would continue in this world. He had passed off all he could, had made sure to say some good byes but he was still here. 

Takeda had gotten on to him, even Tanaka had told him to keep in mind that they had no idea when it would happen. 

Deku found himself sighing into his hands. Everyone was right, while he was in this world he needed to be here, engaged. It had been thirty years for Eri and nearly seven months for Deku and for all Deku knew it had only been a day in his world. As excited as he was to go back home, he couldn’t neglect the friends he had made here. 

He needed to apologize for his weird behavior. 

“Oh, dear, make sure you take an umbrella with you after you close up.” Ukai’s mother got Deku’s attention. He glanced outside to see that it was pouring. There had been a freeze earlier in the month but the weather had warmed up again and now they were in a rainy season. Ukai’s mother tutted at the outside weather. “Keishin said you liked to hike some weekends, I guess those will be over now that we’re in the rainy season.”

“I’ll have to make sure Asahi-san knows.” Deku laughed as he eyed the rain. 

It was weird to think that even this world had a rainy season. 

…  
…  
...

When Mineta left UA, it had been because of the aftermath of Jaku, he hadn’t been able to face it. The loss of friends, of heroes, and the violent destruction left behind, he hadn’t been ready. He had wanted to be a hero but he hadn’t been ready. 

In the hospital afterwards, with his parents begging him to leave UA, he had agreed. He hadn’t thought of much but had agreed to leave his friends because he couldn’t face the idea of seeing them die in the future. He hadn’t been ready to give up on his dream of being a hero so instead his family sent him to a hero school in New York, a school that was nice but no where near UA standards - at least in Mineta’s opinion.

It had taken three months of being in a foreign country, three months of therapy, and three months of texts with Denki before Mineta had regretted his decision. In a weird sense of survivors guilt and the feeling he had abandoned his friends, Mineta had found himself interning with a familiar face. 

He had heard Nejire had come to the US to debut, following her girlfriend Yaya to the States. Mineta had even seen Nejire on social media and the news, a new Japanese hero taking the US by storm. He had run into her in the hall of the hero agency and they had connected at seeing a familiar face and maybe it was guilt about the friends he had left behind, or maybe it was months of therapy, but Mineta found himself with a genuine friendship . . . with a girl. 

Or maybe it was cause Nejire could be just as perverted as he was, when she wasn’t working. 

Either way, they had become friends. 

She had been there with him when he passed his junior year of American Hero high school, and he had been there for her when Yaya broke up with her. He had told her about his regrets at UA, and she had told him about what really happened with her first social media scandal. He kept up to date with Denki on his friends, hoping that maybe one day he would be able to see them again, maybe when he returned to Japan. 

They had been together the day Deku had gone missing. Had stared at the news screens on CNN. Nejire had put in for leave at her agency the next day and Mineta had gotten permission to do remote learning for the rest of the semester. It was his senior year and most students spent time at hero agencies so all Mineta had to do was get a sponsor for his studies. 

A sponsorship that came in the shape of David Shield’s daughter, Melissa Shield. Mineta had been surprised by the email. He had been even more surprised when Aizawa, his former homeroom teacher, had met him and Nejire at the airport with a frown and some orders. 

Aizawa needed help from people who would not be on anyone’s radar and so he had chosen his former student and a US hero that technically had a license to work in Japan even if she hadn’t officially since she had gone pro. Melissa Shield was working with All Might to find Deku, trying to track the teen by his quirk and Aizawa was supporting them in any way he could by making sure they had any and all info about Eri as well. 

Melissa Shield, following in her father’s footsteps of great inventions, had been creating a device to track quirks around the world. It was meant only for scientific study, and only for the Shield family estate. Upon learning about the machine, Hawks clearly had issues with some privacy aspects but at the end of the day, Melissa wasn’t there to fight them on whether or not the machine should be used. 

The machine worked. 

But it still hadn’t been able to find Eri or Deku. 

Until a few weeks ago. 

“The best way I can explain this is that Deku and Eri were transported to another dimension.” Melissa smiled as she pulled up the display. “I honestly was about to declare them both dead but then Hawks found a delightful young girl who could give us proof of life.”

“You were stalking me?” Hawks had his feet up on the table as he leaned back in his chair and Bakugo couldn’t blame the ex-hero. “Did you use this machine?”

“Actually, we can’t track you with the machine.” Melissa paused for a moment. “The majority of your quirk was due to your Fierce Wings, while you still have some benefits, you're basically quirkless and officially invisible to my machine. We had to stalk you the old fashioned way.”

“Lemillion kept an eye on you.” Aizawa just shrugged before glancing at Bakugo. “Unlike some, he knows how to get around without getting noticed.”

“Say it to my fa-”

“Once we had proof of life, we were able to focus but unfortunately, we can’t track quirks if people aren’t using them.” Melissa kept the conversation going. “That changed a few weeks ago, Deku’s quirk was read and I was able to get a vague idea of where he and Eri are but now we’re working on how to get him.”

Bakugo felt so utterly useless. 

He had been doing everything he could to bring Deku back but his work had been useless. Unneeded. 

“That is why Monoma is here.” Melissa motioned over to the blond who waved to Bakugo even as the explosive teen flicked him off. Melissa continued despite their antics. “With Monoma’s quirk, I’ve been working on how to cause the same quirk reaction that sent Deku and Eri away, and I’m hoping with-”

Bakugo startled at that. “Is that possible?”

All Might shrugged as sat back. “Melissa has been dedicating her research to understanding quirks and if she feels that she can make it happen, then I have faith in her.”

“The research and interest all started because of you, Uncle All Might.” Melissa motioned for Monoma to join her and the blond placed a quick kiss to Shinso’s jaw before making his way to her. Melissa laughed at his antics. “Monoma’s quirk lets him steal, or mimic, another person’s quirk for a period of time and he has been working on being able to steal more than one over the years.”

Melissa went over to her computer and motioned for Monoma to walk into a small glass room so that everyone could see him. She tapped a few keys on the computer and continued explaining. “With Monoma’s help I’ve been able to further my research on artificial quirks. With these-”

“I’m sorry, artificial quirks?” Hawks’ voice was strained and Melissa smiled. 

“Let me show you.” And with that they all watched as Monoma lit a fire in his hands. The blond let it bounce around before Melissa hit another button and Monoma was creating flowers out of his hand. Melissa tapped another button and then Monoma was creating wind. Hawks was frowning at the display and Bakugo could feel tension from the man. 

“I know what you’re thinking but if this means-” Aizawa started but Hawks interrupted him. 

“If you’ve been stalking you know that I’ve been worried about the HPSC.” Hawks kept his voice soft, knowing that Aizawa could hear him as he glared at the older hero. “You do realize how dangerous all of this could be if-”

“At this moment, I’m willing to do anything.” Aizawa’s voice was quiet, matching Hawks’ volume as the man stared at the younger man. 

Hawks clicked his jaw shut, clearly unhappy, but then they turned their attention back to Monoma who was making his way out of the glass room. Hawks glanced at the room, at all the people who had put so much work into getting Deku and Eri back. He hadn’t been pushing the envelope, not like this.

Hawks already hated the idea of telling Endeavor and knew that he would have to. 

No more lies. 

“So why are you letting me into this now?” Bakugo was frustrated and All Might put his hand on the teen’s shoulder getting a glare in response. 

“We brought you in for your safety and-”

‘Fuck off, my safety-” Bakugo interruped the tired hero before Aizawa interrupted him. 

“We brought you in because we think we finally found a way to bring them back but we need your help.” His homeroom teacher eyed Bakugo for a moment, making sure the teen wouldn’t interrupt him. “You're here because we need your help.”

…  
…  
…

“Like this.” Hinata tapped the volleyball up in the air with the tips of his fingers a few times before he stopped and passed the ball over to his sister who was frowning at him. 

“I already know how to do this.” Natsu huffed and Deku found himself laughing as the girl started tapping the ball in the air. Hinata and Kageyama were supposed to be studying but Kageyama had fallen asleep a few minutes ago and Hinata was distracted with having his sister so close by. 

“Are you going to play volleyball like Shoyo?” Deku sat on the ground, leaning back against the store. The store was empty and so Deku didn’t mind watching the two siblings as Kageyama slept inside. 

“Pshaw!” Natsu laughed as she tapped the ball a few more times. “I’ll play volleyball better than nii-san!” 

Hinata sputtered, poking here in the side making her drop the ball. “You’re 100 years too late to try and take me on.”

“You!” Natsu shoved her brother away before she chased the ball as it bounced on the ground. Deku laughed a bit as Natsu started tapping the ball again but further away from her brother. Hinata groaned, saying something about being hungry before he ran back in the store. Natsu just huffed before she turned to Deku. “Can I have an ice cream?” 

“Sure.” Deku laughed as he got to his feet. He paused as he saw a group of black heading down the mountain and smiled as he waved at the rest of the Karasuno team. He turned to Natsu who was still bouncing the ball. “Let’s wait till Ennoshita gets here, he’ll buy you ice cream and the rest of the team.”

“En-no-shi-ta-san!” Natsu giggled as she tapped the ball a few times before the wind blew it out of her hands. The girl gasped as she ran after it, Deku turning to watch her as he saw her chase the ball out into the street.

“CAR!” There was a shout from the team but Deku didn’t need their warning because he felt the jolt in the back of his head, a warning that danger was immediate and a quirk he hadn’t felt in all his months in this place. 

He moved instantly. 

Deku had his arms around Natsu instantly, not even sure if he took a step as he grabbed the girl and threw her in the air just in time to crouch himself down for the car to hit him. He could hear the metal bend as he dug his heels in the ground but he couldn’t stop getting hit but he also knew how to take a hit like this. 

There was shouting but Deku didn’t pay attention to it as he kept his eyes in the air. He ran up the top of the car and jumped just in time to grab Natsu as she fell back into his arm. The young girl’s cheeks were pink from the cold hair but she just stared at Deku in shock. 

“NATSU!” Hinata was there instantly and Deku took a deep breath as he felt One For All calm down around him. He could still see the sparks in the air but it didn’t matter because Natsu was okay. 

She was okay. 

“Izuku, are you okay?” Tanaka was gasping, clearly he had sprinted down the hill and Deku just held onto Natsu as he started at Hinata and Natsu. Tanaka seemed to see something on Deku’s face before the teen leaned into Deku’s space. “You’re okay, she’s okay.”

“Natsu!” Hinata was pulling his sister out of Deku’s grip and as soon as she was in her brother’s arms the little girl burst out into tears but it seemed like everything was fine. The same could not be said for the car. 

“Shimada-san!” Yamaguchi was opening the car door and sure enough, pulling a rather pale and confused Shimada out of the car. “Are you okay?”

“I’m f-f-fine.” Shimada coughed as he stared wide-eyed at Deku and the rest of the kids as the team surrounded the scene of the accident. “Is she okay? Is he okay?”

“WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!” Yachi was crying as she held onto Ennoshita, looking like she was about to collapse from shock. “WHAT WAS THAT?”

“Did I die?” Shimada looked at Yamaguchi and the teen looked worried for the older man. 

“Uh . . .” Deku stared at everyone with wide eyes, before he spotted Takeda-sense and coach Uaki at the back of the group. “I can explain?”

…  
…  
…

“This is a fucking waste of time.” Bakugo growled and Iida found himself rolling his eyes. 

“Bro, don’t be mad! This is the last school festival we’ll ever have and we get to be shirtless!” Kirishima hugged Bakugo from behind causing the blond to try and slap his friend away but it didn’t seem to work. 

“You only have to be in the dunk tank for two shifts and then you’re done.” Iida grabbed the nearest towel, trying to dry off the water that was still dripping down his skin. “The girls are running the quiz portion so if you need anything or if you need a moment, make sure you let them know.”

“Ha! Uraraka would probably rather let you drown.” Kirishima tapped Bakugo’s chest before dragging his friend down the hall and Iida tried to relax. Bakugo had been extra tense the past few weeks and while Class A tried to help where they could it felt like the blond was keeping them at arms’ length again. 

“There you are.” Iida jumped as Todoroki was by his side. The teen didn’t have his shift for a while but the teen couldn’t help but blush as Todoroki eyed his naked torso. 

“I need to dry off.” Iida paused as Todoroki took the towel from him and opened his mouth to ask his boyfriend what he was doing but was silenced by a kiss. Iida felt giddy as they both stumbled back and out of the way until they were hidden in a corner. Iida gasped as he felt Todoroki’s hands against his abs and he broke the kiss to glare at his boyfriend. “We should not be doing this here.”

“No.” Todoroki agreed before he let his hands stroke up Iida’s stomach and chest before stroking back down again. “Your skin is so cold.”

“Sh-shoto.” Iida grabbed his boyfriend’s shirt and pulled the teen into another kiss. He laughed when he felt Todoroki feel up his chest again before they finally separated and Iida just huffed. “If you try to go any further I’ll have to arrest you for indecent behavior.”

“Wouldn’t want that.” Shoto let out a small smile and pressed his lips against Iida’s one more time. They both put more space between them and Iida made sure to grab Todoroki’s hand as they made their way out of the backroom. Iida made sure to grab his shirt first and barely got it on before they made their way out into the crowds to see what the rest of the classes had set up for this year's festival. 

…  
…  
…

“Shhh.” The deep voice in Kenma’s ear made the teen gasp. He opened his mouth to yell at Kuroo but then he felt the older teen’s mouth on the back of his neck. 

Finally, after three weeks of not seeing each other they were finally getting some-

“Hey Kenma, can you-OH!” Lev’s voice filled the room and Kenma had a blink a few times as he realized there was someone else in his apartment. Well, Kuroo’s apartment. 

“Did you just let yourself in?” Kuroo groaned as he crawled off Kenma and both teens, thankfully still dressed, turned to see the second year Nekoma player staring up at the ceiling with his face bright red. “You know, I’m going to call Yaku and make sure he never gives you a chance.”

“Nooo!” Lev glanced down back at them before looking up. “I’m sorry, I texted Kenma and thought it was okay.”

“How did you even get my passcode?” Kuroo sighed before Kenma tried to hide underneath the blanket on the couch and Kuroo just sighed. “Nevermind. Clearly Kenma was too lazy to let you in at some point, but what are you doing here?” 

“Kenma told me to pick him up today.” Lev was still staring at the ceiling. “He’s supposed to be coming over to help my mom record videos for Deku.”

“Videos for Midoriya?” Kuroo took a breath before he waved Lev off. “Don’t care, fine, whatever. Take him.”

“Noooo.” Kenma groaned and Kuroo smiled at his boyfriend who was now completely hidden under a blanket. 

He loved Kenma so much sometimes. 

…  
…  
…

The noise was unbearable. 

Endeavor could hear the crowd cheering and the older man never thought it had been so loud but he was grateful for the noise as he stared at the man that was currently beneath his legs. Hawks was currently pulling down Endeavor’s hero costume. He had thought they were just going to kiss in the hall closet, he hadn’t expected this. 

“Number one hero again.” Hawks sounded breathless as he smirked up at Enji, groping the older man’s erection through his underwear. “Every Hero Billboard I’ve ever been to I’ve wanted to suck you off and now I finally get the chance . . .”

“How did you even get in here?” Endeavor groaned as Hawks finally freed his cock and the younger man nuzzled the base of his cock. Hawks had to look away to keep himself in control. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Because I’m not a hero?” Hawks wrapped one hand around the heavy shaft and stroked it, making Endeavor look back in his direction. “You’ll find, Endeavor-san, that I can find my way inside any building. That is, if I have the incentive.”

Endeavor wasn’t able to respond because Hawks licked the head before sucking in the head of Endeavor’s cock. The blond groaned at the action, almost as if he was getting more pleasure from the act than Enji was but Endeavor didn’t think that was true. The older man widened his legs, hoping that Hawks had enough space to be comfortable in the rather cramped closet. 

He was in a closet. 

At the HPSC convention center. 

Endeavor was getting his cock sucked in a closet just minutes after being declared the number one hero for another year. 

The older man knew he shouldn’t. Knew he should pull Hawks off and admonish the younger man, something he had a feeling that Hawks would still rather enjoy. Enji groaned as Hawks tried to take more of him in and he had the chance to see Hawks smart mouth stretched wide on his girth. 

“Fuck.” Enji grabbed the blond’s hair, not pulling or tugged but just holding as he stared down at the younger man. 

“Later.” Hawks replied as he let go of Enji’s cock with a pop. His lips already looked swollen and sinful and Enndeavor could already picture what kind of expression the younger man might have when they finally did fuck. Hawks already looked blissed out from just sucking him off. He moved forward to continue sucking and Enji groaned. 

Endeavor wondered if they were moving too quickly. It had been a few weeks of kisses, of honest conversation and Enji had no problem admitting that he wanted this man but . . . Endeavor was not a casual man. He had never dated anyone other than his wife and he had never thought of another person even when she had been hospitalized until . . .

Until Hawks. 

Even before the divorce Endeavor had wanted Hawks, even if he hadn’t understood it at the time. 

“Hawks.” Enji pulled the blond’s hair to make the blond look up at him as he felt himself getting close. He needed the younger man to kiss him, he wanted to kiss Hawks. He forced Hawks to pull off and groaned at the loss but it made it easier to pull the younger man into a kiss. 

“Endeavor-san.” Hawks groaned into his mouth and Endeavor didn’t have a chance to reply because the younger man started stroking him fast as Hawks deepened the kiss. Hawks only separated to bite Enji’s bottom lip before kissing the man’s jaw as his hand moved faster and faster.

Endeavor buried his face in Hawks’ neck as he came, the older man grunting as he felt himself spill over Hawks’ hand and all over the floor of the closet. 

“Thank you for letting me check that off the list.” Hawks kissed the side of Endeavor’s face and the older man grunted before he realized what Hawks had said. 

“What list?”

…  
…  
…

“So you’re a real superhero . . . like, from comic books?” Yachi was sitting on the floor in the gym staring at the video on Deku’s tablet of one of his training videos. She still couldn’t believe it. “And you’re . . . an alien?”

“Not quite.” Takeda-sensei had been trying to help Deku explain his story and Yachi found herself grateful that the older man was there. “But if that is easier for you to understand then maybe we should stick with that.”

“And . . . you all knew?” It was Ennoshita this time, rubbing his temples as if he was trying to fight a headache. 

“I’m sorry for lying to everyone, and sorry that I asked them to lie for me as well.” Deku apologized again before he was distracted by tugging on the side of his shirt. Natsu had finally gotten over her shock and she was determined to ask Deku a million questions. 

“Can you fly?” Natsu tugged on his shirt, her eyes wide and her mouth still a mess from the ice cream Ennoshita had bought her. “Can you shoot lasers from your eyes? Can you glow in the dark? Can you-”

“Natsu, let’s play.” Hinata lightly bounced a volleyball off her head making the girl blow a raspberry at her brother before she chased him around the gym. Deku just laughed as he watched them before he glanced at the rest of the team that still seemed shocked. 

But not as shocked as Shimada-san who was currently on the phone with his insurance company. The man seemed unsure of how to explain what happened even though coach Ukai was helping him come up with a solution. 

Deku was just glad the man was okay. 

And he was glad he didn’t have to lie to his friends anymore. 

“Is this why you’ve been saying goodbye? Leaving the journals and things?” Yachi sighed as she finally put down the tablet. “Are you leaving?”

Deku felt sad, realizing he would have to say it out loud that he wouldn’t see them anymore. “Kacchan figured out a way to send me a message and told me to be ready. I don’t know when but I think he’s going to get me back home.”

“But what about us?” Nishinoya was busy texting on his phone before he shouted towards Shimada and Coach Ukai. “Asahi said the tow truck is picking up the car and he’s going to walk up once they take it.”

“Thanks.” Shimada groaned as he hung up his phone and Ukai patted him on the shoulder. “I’m so glad those kids are okay.”

“Don’t start crying again.” Ukai murmured and Deku just smiled again before he turned to Nishinoya. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more honest with all of you from the beginning, and I’m going to miss all of you but . . .” Deku fiddled with his earring as he smiled over at Yachi. “I’m excited to see my family again, my mom, All Might, and Kacchan. My friends, too.”

“Hey!” Everyone startled as Yachi held up the tablet that showed a picture of little Eri on Deku’s shoulders. “This girl looks like Lev’s mom!”

Deku glanced at Takeda-sensei, wondering if it was even possible to explain this. The teacher paused before he smiled. 

“Funny coincidence. Now, if everyone is okay I think it’s time I send you home and lock up the gym again.”

…  
…  
…

Toga had a problem. 

Shiggy-chan had been pissed when they had run from their fight with Bakugo. The man had wanted to continue his attacks until he learned the truth about Deku, almost seemed desperate in a way that Toga hadn’t seen him in a while. She sighed as she twirled her knife in the air. 

She might not have been as smart as Dabi but she always had an eye for pretty faces and she had recognized Nejire-chan. If Toga was good at one thing, aside from cutting people, it was stalking. It was how she always knew where to find her best friends. And the people she wanted to be more than friends with, like Ochaco. Once Toga had a face it was only a matter of time before she found that person, if she was invested that is, and for Deku - Toga was invested. 

She found the hidden warehouse, had even impersonated one of the janitors to walk around one day, and now Toga didn’t know what she should do. It had been hard enough to hide the first body and she didn’t imagine she would be able to kill another staffer soon. 

She could tell Shigaraki about the warehouse, but she had a feeling he would destroy it. But from what she could tell, it seemed like the heroes were not only looking for Deku but were actually close at getting Deku back. 

Deku and the little girl. 

Toga flipped the knife in the air, watching how the lights gleaned off the metal before it landed back in her hand. 

Maybe she should tell him, afterall, Toga hated secrets. 

But…

Maybe this was a secret that would be okay, if it got them what they wanted in the end. She could tell him about the warehouse after Deku got back and then they could destroy it. 

What to do, what to do?

…  
…  
…

Daichi tapped his foot against the pavement, trying to stay warm as he waited for his friends. It had been almost a year since he had made it back to Karasuno and he was excited to see everyone again. 

“THERE YOU ARE!” Daichi startled before he got a swift punch in the side that made him stumble over before he smiled and glanced up at Suga who was smiling cheerfully. “I told Kiyoko that you would at the back entrance.”

“Back entrance?” Daichi rubbed his side. “There is only one entrance, Karasuno hasn’t-”

“You need to start looking at the signs, Daichi, otherwise we’re going to blame Kageyama’s bad sense of direction on you.” Asahi laughed as he walked over with Kiyoko by his side. The taller man pointed to a sign that Daichi was standing under that pointed towards a main entrance. “They updated the station six months ago.”

“Really?” Daichi stared at the sign before he rubbed the top of his head and smiled at his friends. “Fine, I was wrong. Can I get hugs now?”

Kiyoko was the first to hug him and Daichi made sure to grin at Asahi and Suga while she did. Both other teens rolled their eyes at him before Suga joined in the hug and then Asashi wrapped his arms around all of them in a hug that was a little too tight but it had them laughing as they finally made their way out. 

“Are your parents settled in their new home?” Asashi wrapped an arm around Daichi as they walked and it made the former-team captain laugh. 

“Yeah, my dad is settled into his new job. Mom even found a place to keep her busy and so I officially got permission to transfer colleges and should be joining you in Tokyo in a few months.” Daichi reached up to tug on Asahi’s long hair. “What about you and Nishinoya?”

“Noya is all set to graduate in a few months and I’ve already settled with my landlord. I’ve been looking at apartments in the city but it’s hard to figure out how much space I’ll need when I’ll be at school and Noya will be traveling the world.” Asahi shrugged before he spoke a little louder to get the attention of the two that were walking ahead of them. “Maybe my friends who already live in the city will help me find a place.”

“I live in the dorms.” Kiyoko stated matter of factly while Sugawara laughed. 

“I’ll give you the address of my place. I think my landlord said that she was hoping to rent out a few more units.” Suga smirked before glancing at Daichi. “Did you want the info too?”

“No, I’ll have to live in the dorms for my first year in the academy.” Daichi groaned at the thought. “I would rather have my own place but I guess it’s meant to build a sense of camaraderie for all the new recruits.”

“Daichi, the policeman!” Suga laughed and Daichi smiled. 

He missed Suga. 

He had missed all of them. 

“Do we have time to drop off my stuff before we go to the school?” Daichi held up his bag to make a point. 

Turned out they did have time. Daichi and Sugawara were crashing on Asahi’s floor for New Years, and Kiyoko was staying with her parents. It didn’t take long for them to be on their way to the school, wondering who was going to be doing what. 

And more than anything, Daichi was looking forward to meeting the kid from outer space. 

At least, that is how Ennoshita had described him. 

“KIYOKO-SAN!” Was the shouted greeting all of them received as Nishinoya and Tanaka ran over to the beautiful college student. Daichi laughed at how little had changed but he did find himself lifting an eyebrow when Kiyoko let Tanaka hold her bag for her. 

That was new. 

“If you came to distract the team from practice then I hope you brought your gym shoes because I will make all of you play.” Coach Ukai threw a ball at Daichi and they grinned at each other. 

“We’re always prepared, Coach.” Daichi showed off that he was indeed wearing his old volleyball shoes. “I might be a bit rusty.”

“CAPTAIN!” Hinata was suddenly in Daichi’s space, the bright haired teen smiling widely. “Have you been playing? What is college like? Who is the best player on your team?”

“Uh-” Daichi did not have the heart to say that he hadn’t played since he graduated but thankfully was saved by a stranger running into the gym and promptly falling on his face. The teen was older, clearly a third year at least, and had long green hair that was tied up. Daichi went over to help the teen up. “You okay?”

“Fine!” The teen laughed as he took Daichi’s hand and got to his feet. The teen gave Daichi a small bow before running over to Yachi with some papers. 

“Who is-”

“The alien invader.” Ennoshita was at Daichi’s side and they knocked their fists together before Ennoshita motioned towards the green haired teen. “I know it sounds crazy but just trust us and don’t ask too many questions.”

“And he might go back home any day now.” Tanaka wrapped his arm around Ennoshita and smiled at Daichi before frowning a bit. “Well, it’s been a while since he last heard from his friends back home so we’re not talking about that. Instead, let’s play some volleyball.” 

Daichi figured that was fair. 

He honestly felt the less he knew about the alien teen, the better.

“All right!” Daichi shouted as he walked onto the court with a smile. “Ennoshita, assign teams! Let’s play!” 

…  
…  
…

It was taking too long. 

Melissa stared at the numbers on her screen and couldn’t help the frustrated growl that escaped her throat. Maybe she had been spending too much time with Bakugo. 

Everything was ready. 

They were ready to make it all happen. 

Now all they could do was wait for Deku to use his quirk long enough for it to register on her computers but there had been nothing since the last big burst a few weeks ago. The silence had nearly sent Melissa on a tailspin but Bakugo had gone back to visit Reimena to make sure Deku was still alive and it seemed like the teen was. 

She had figured out a series of quirk reactions that she felt would create the same kind of portal that Deku and Eri had fallen through. Unfortunately, they couldn’t just send anyone across on just a whim, no, they needed to make sure they were going to get Deku. 

Deku. 

Once the portal was activated with Monoma, then she would be able to send Bakugo to get Deku and Eri. Bakugo had been the perfect choice because his quirk never stopped working. Having his sweat not only be something natural that happens in his body constantly but be part of his quirk had made him the perfect person to send. 

Melissa could track him. 

And she could continue to track him. 

They weren’t going to lose anyone in this rescue mission, she was going to make sure of it. Heck, Bakugo was actually supporting her every move once he realized he was going to be the one going in. It had taken some convincing with the adults but Melissa knew he was the right choice. 

Bakugo definitely agreed with her there. 

Now she just needed Deku to do something. 

“On the plus side, if he’s not using his quirk then that means he’s not in danger, right?” Hawks' voice startled Melissa for a second before she smiled to see both Hawks and Bakugo enter the lab. 

“Fuck the plus side, Deku needs to get his shit together.” Bakugo went over to stand beside Melissa as he looked at the screens. It had only taken Melissa a few days before she realized that he was learning how to read them. It had only taken him a week to get the gist of it all. 

Deku had always sung Bakugo’s praises and Melissa was happy to see it all in action. She smiled a bit at the thought, excited to tell Deku all about this before she noticed bags under Bakugo’s eyes. 

“Are you sleeping?” She couldn’t help but worry. 

“Told you I wasn’t the only one who would notice.” Hawks’ voice filtered from somewhere but Melissa couldn’t see the ex-pro hero anymore. 

“Fuck you, Keigo!” Bakugo glared in a general direction before he grunted and rubbed his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll be ready to go.”

“You better be, we only have-”

“I get it.” Bakugo interrupted her before the blond sighed. “I’ll be fine and I’ll be ready. Don’t worry about it.” 

Melissa sighed but didn’t say anything else. 

She would have to keep a firmer eye on Bakugo when she could but as long as he was ready then she would put her faith in him. If anyone was going to go that extra mile for Deku, it was Bakugo and Melissa knew it. 

But that didn’t mean she wanted him to get hurt in the process. 

“Here, I printed out some reports based on his last movements. Maybe you’ll see a pattern?” Melissa handed the blond a stack of papers which he took before stomping over to the nearest table. She couldn’t make him sleep but she could put him to work. 

Keeping busy made her feel better too. 

Melissa couldn’t help but stare at the screen one more time as if trying to will Deku to use his quirk. 

Deku, please. 

Please. 

Let us save you. 

…  
…  
…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Trying to give Mineta off screen character growth  
> -Endangerment of child (Natsu)  
> -Destruction of a vehicle   
> -Todoroki (17) feeling up Iida (18)  
> -Kenma being lazy and scarring Lev  
> -Hawks giving Endeavor a blowjob
> 
> Note: My friend/sorta beta reader read this chapter and was like 'I think it's hilarious that we've been following the wrong team this story.' talking about how I've been focusing on Bakugo and not everything Aizawa has been doing and that is the reaction I'm hoping for so I hope you all feel the same. Admittedly, this story was very different from the original idea (which had Deku, Chisaki, and Eri in the HQ world, haha) but I really like how this has grown and come together and I feel like I can honestly say I'm proud of my first attempt at a crossover. 
> 
> It is definitely not perfect but it has been fun. 
> 
> Thank you for everyone who has been leaving reviews as they've helped me stay excited the several months. You are all awesome!


	17. Watching me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deku was ready, he had Eri’s message to everyone. He had notes and letters from his friends for him to take with him and hold on to when he missed them, he had been afraid to read them at the moment but he was grateful to have them in his bag for when the time came. All of that was to say that Deku was ready to go home. 
> 
> He was ready. 
> 
> So where was Kacchan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:   
> So. We made it to this chapter. I really hope you like it, as I had a lot of fun writing it. There is still one more chapter for the story so I won’t say much here but I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Author’s Note:   
> It’s funny how much this story has kicked my butt but it also has been such a fun challenge to myself. I’ve been trying out different things with fics that I don’t normally do. I feel like for a while my big thing was trying to write side pairing stories while trying to stay as canon as possible so doing something like this where I was crashing two canons together and not really trying to stay in the lines was new and fun. 
> 
> I’m thinking of including some behind the scenes thoughts to this story at the end of next chapter but I’m not sure if that is something anyone would be interested in. Haha, I might just do it cause I always wonder things with some fanfics and I figure it would be a fun exercise. 
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

Deku sat on the steps outside Takeda’s apartment building as he watched the snow come down. He had celebrated New Years day with Karasuno earlier and everyone had gone home to sleep before they drove to Tokyo tomorrow. 

The Final Spring Interhigh was finally upon his friends and Deku was so excited to see them compete but he couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong. 

He had Eri’s message to everyone. He had notes and letters from his friends for him to take with him and hold on to when he missed them, he had been afraid to read them at the moment but he was grateful to have them in his bag for when the time came. All of that was to say that Deku was ready to go home. 

He was ready. 

So where was Kacchan?

“You should be sleeping.” Deku jumped a bit before he smiled over at Ukai who was lighting a cigarette. The man was wearing a thick coat and was holding onto another jacket that he dumped on Deku’s shoulders. “Takeda was worried that you would be cold after sitting out here for so long.”

“Thank you.” Deku smiled as he wrapped it around himself, thinking about how much his relationship with Ukai had changed since he had gotten here. He was really going to miss the older man when he made it back home. 

If he ever made it back home. 

“Don’t give up on your friends just yet.” Ukai nudged Deku with his foot and made the teen scoot so he could sit next to him. The older man sighed as he stared out into the empty streets to watch the snow come down. “I can’t begin to understand what you’re feeling but even if it takes another year, or a decade, from what it sounds like, your friends aren’t ready to give up on you.”

“I’m not ready to give up on them, either.” Deku laughed as he rubbed his hands together before he bit his lip. “I just feel like there is something I should be doing . . . I just have no idea what it is.”

Deku watched as Ukai blew smoke into the air for a moment and he smiled as the older man actually thought about his words for a bit. 

“Do you still have everything ready and with you in case they show up?” Ukai glanced at Deku and the teen lifted his small bag with a smile. He really took it with him everywhere. Even the bathroom. The coach just laughed and shrugged. “Then you’re fine. No matter what happens, we plan to support you till the very end. If you end up here longer? Well, that means I don’t need to hire a new part timer yet.”

“At least the next part timer you hire will be here legally.” Deku laughed before he realized he was shivering. “I better head back inside. One of us has to stay awake to make sure Takeda-sensei doesn’t fall asleep while driving.”

Ukai just took another drag from his cigarette and Deku laughed, before he made his way up the stairs and to the apartment. 

As anxious as he was to get back home, he was going to miss these moments. 

…  
…  
…

“We have twelve hours until we have to be back on the clock and I plan to spend at least half that time with your cock in me so take off your pants.” Monoma started taking off his shirt instantly, before glancing at Shinso. “Well?”

“And I’ve been told romance is dead.” Shinso smirked as Monoma got into his space, the shorter teen grabbed Shinso’s pants but the taller teen grabbed Monoma’s hands before the blond could pull. “Aren’t you tired? Melissa had you practicing different quirks for-”

“I’m not tired, I’m horny.” Monoma actually whined and it made Shinso let out a surprise laugh, something that was rare even when it was just the two of them. The blonde seemed to realize he was winning now as he let his hands rub against Shinsho’s skin under the taller teen’s shirt. “One round, then we can shower, and then we’ll sleep.”

“You mean one round on the bed and one round in the shower, and then you’ll let me sleep?” Shinso sighed as Monoma smiled brightly at him.

“This is why I love you.” Monoma opened his mouth to say something else but Shinso silenced him with a kiss. They stumbled on the bed as they tried to strip each other and honestly, it was a testament to how often they did this that they were able to get naked so fast. 

Shinso was worried.

Monoma had been pushing himself since the incident with the LOV and Shinso was keeping an eye on his boyfriend. The only reason they got this twelve hour break was because Shinso had pointed out how sleep deprived Monoma and Bakugo had been the past few days. 

Shinso would leave Bakugo to someone else but he could take care of Monoma. 

“Please . . .” Monoma panted as the blond kept trying to pull Shinso closer to him as the purple haired teen pressed his fingers deeper into his boyfriend, preparing him. “Please, just put it in and kiss me.”

“Do you want my dick first or a kiss?” Shinso smirked but got his answer as Monoma reached for Shinso’s cock and started stroking it. The teen shuddered as he finally pulled his fingers out and grabbed a condom, slapping away Monoma’s hand so that he could roll it on before pressing in. “Happy?”

“Kiss.”

Shinso left out a breath, both annoyed and endeared with his boyfriend’s behavior, before he grabbed Monoma’s knees so that they could bend the teen as he pressed forward so that they could kiss. Monoma let out a keening noise and tightened around him but that didn’t stop them from kissing, or from Monoma moving his hips like a porn star as they pressed into each other. 

As soon as they graduated Shinso was going to marry this guy. 

He already had a plan and everything. 

Monoma was going to hate it. They were going to have a party with their friends and families and Monoma was going to have to sit there all night and be the center of attention. When it was over, Shinso was going to drag them both to a hotel and make it up to him but they would be engaged and then they could plan the rest of their lives together. 

“Fuck, I love you.” Monoma gasped against Shinso’s lips and the taller teen pressed as deep as he could go to get the teen to gasp again. 

Maybe they would have to do two rounds on the bed before going to the shower.

...  
…  
…

Deku paused as he left the Tokyo hotel. He had made sure Hinata and Kageyama had gone to sleep before he had decided to take a night run - his backpack strapped to him - before he walked out to see Tanaka, Nishinoya, Kinoshita, and Narita all hiding behind a bush and staring at something. 

“Uh, should you all be sleeping? First game is-”

“SHHHH!” Narita pulled Deku down so that the teen was hiding with them. “We just want to see what’s happening.”

“Happening?” Deku glanced over to see a fountain not too far off. Ennoshita was sitting against it and talking to someone with a mohawk . . . the teen looked familiar. “Is that Tora?”

“Shhh!” Tanaka hissed again as he smiled and nodded. “I mentioned the fountain to Tora but I had no idea this could happen!”

Deku blinked, still confused but it was Nishinoya who finally filled in the blanks.”This is Ryu’s love fountain. There were a lot of misunderstandings at that fountain last year but for some reason he thinks it’s a fountain of love or something. Maybe because Kiyoko finally let him carry her back last year too, but anyway, Tora heard it was a fountain of love . . . and now is currently meeting our captain beside it,”

“I always thought he was a bit of a coward.” Kinoshita laughed a bit. “He still can’t look Yachi in the eye.”

“A healthy dose of fear and respect for all women is one thing, making eyes at our captain is something else.” Tanaka huffed and Deku found himself shaking his head. 

“You don’t even know if that is what is happening. Maybe Ennoshita was already out here when he came by?” Deku sighed before he stood back up. He needed to start his run. “Don’t jump to any-”

“I REALLY LIKE YOU AND WONDERED IF YOU WOULD DO ME THE HONOR OF READING THIS NOTE!” Tora’s voice, loud and nervous, echoed across the empty courtyard and Deku found himself crouching behind the bush with the rest of them. 

Well, clearly he had been wrong. 

It was a love confession. 

Even Ennoshita seemed startled but the teen took the note gently from Tora’s hand before nodding. “Do you mind if I hold off on reading it until after the tournament?”

“Whatever works for you!” Tora rubbed his mohawk, his face was so red Deku could make out the blush in the night lighting. “We just don’t know how tomorrow will go and I wanted to make sure to give it to you. You don’t have to answer now or, ever, really but-”

“I’ll read it and then I’ll answer you.” Ennoshita even seemed to have a light blush and Deku tried not to laugh as Nishinoya started poking everyone to make sure they were all paying attention to what was happening. 

“Ennoshita found love!” Narita laughed and then jostled Tanaka who was still watching the scene. “Did you know that Tora liked-”

“I had no idea.:” Tanaka seemed stunned by the whole thing and Deku was about to ask the teen if he was okay before they all heard a cough next to them and startled to see Ennoshita now glaring at them, Tora no longer in sight.

“Bed time! We didn’t see anything!” Deku had never seen the teens move so fast as all the third years ran off leaving Deku and Ennoshita on their own. The green haired teen just smiled as he turned to Ennoshita who was clearly embarrassed to have been witnessed. 

“Uh, want to go jogging with me?”

…  
…  
…

Everyone in class 3-A watched as Bakugo fell to the ground, not moving. Uraraka would have been worried about the blond but instead she was concerned about the ex-pro hero that looked to be holding a tranq gun in the middle of their training class. 

“Um, Hawks-san, did you just tranq Bakugo?” Uraraka glanced around to see her other classmates making the same expression she felt she was making. 

“Yep!” Hawks laughed as he tucked the gun into his front pocket. “Let this be a lesson to all of you. Make sure you take care of yourselves and get a full night's rest when you're told, otherwise the tranq fairy will take care of it for you.”

Uraraka didn’t know what to say to that so instead she just watched Hawks pick Bakugo up, not a small feat, and carry the teen off to who knows where. She turned her attention to Aizawa who was also watching before the teacher sighed and glanced at the rest of the class. 

“Does that mean that he’s the tranq fairy?” Denki asked, making Uraraka choke as she tried not to laugh. 

“It means that Bakugo is out for the rest of class but all of you look fine. Does anyone else need a nap or are you going to get back to work?” Aizawa eyed all of them and no one needed to be told twice. 

They did not need to know how Aizawa would put them to sleep. 

…  
…  
…

The first match was Karasuno’s win and Hinata had to do everything in his power not to go running for Kenma as soon as it was done. 

“Battle for the Trash Heap!” Hinata shouted, trying to get the energy out. 

“Grandpa is going to be excited. Make sure you beat the cats tomorrow.” Coach Ukai laughed before motioning over to Yachi and Deku. “Remember we’re not taking any chances this year so go get your temperatures taken and tell Yachi how you’re feeling. First years, I know you’re not playing but keeping the water bottles filled is a huge help.”

Hinata bounced on the balls of his feet, ready to get his temperature taken as Yachi held a thermometer in front of his forehead. He smiled brightly. “I slept eight hours last night and ate a full breakfast. I’ve been drinking plenty of water and-”

“Hinata, you’re fine.” Yachi smiled at him. “This year you’re going to stay standing until the end.”

“Or until he messes up and causes us to lose. Then he’ll at least bow with us at the end.” Tsukishima sighed and Hinata puffed out his cheeks. 

“Tsukishima, you should probably eat more before the next match.” Deku interrupted the moment and the tall blond tried to walk away but the green haired teen chased after him. “Hey, wait! Yamaguchi, grab him!”

“All right, everyone finish your cool down and back up. Let’s go watch the rest of the matches.”

“Yes!”

…  
…  
…

“I heard you talked to Mera.” 

Endeavor glanced up from his desk to see Mirko walking into his office. The older man just nodded as he glanced at the paperwork in front of him before he pushed it away and gave her his attention. 

“I decided to ask him point blank about what the HPSC has been doing.” Endeavor sighed. “He was up front but he also says that any LOV infiltration is gone.”

“Do you trust him?” Mirko leaned against his desk and Endeavor honestly didn’t know if he trusted Mera. It was hard to trust a man when he didn’t know what Mera’s quirk was. 

“Hawks’ trusts him and that will have to do.” Endeavor figured it was best for him to be honest as well. “I can’t fight every battle, and I still think we need to talk reform with the HPSC but I think I’m going to hand that off to you to take charge of. Unless you want to hand it to Best Jeanist.”

“Jeanist would love that shit, give it to him. What will I be helping you with?” Mirko smirked and Endeavor found himself smirking back. 

“We need to take care of Shigaraki and the LOV.” Endeavor got to his feet and made his way to the bullpen with his sidekicks where Burnin was making a wall with all the faces that they knew were part of the LOV. Endeavor turned to Mirko who was frowning at the pictures as he continued. “It’s embarrassing that we’ve left this fight to kids when we should be the ones taking care of it. I’m leaving Hawks in charge of getting Deku back but I want your help with this.”

“And I come with this assignment so you have to take it!” Burnin smirked at Mirko. 

Mirko laughed before she held her one hand out for Endeavor to shake. “Man, I love working with you Endeavor. Almost makes me think I can do more team missions but I’ll stick with you for now.”

“Thanks.” Endeavor shook her hand and he meant it. 

…  
…  
…

“Fucking finally.” Kenma gasped as the last whistle sounded and he found himself falling forward with exhaustion only to be held up by Tora. They were both out of breath, their bodies pushed to the limit but that didn’t change the score. 

3-2, Karasuno had won again. 

Kenma spared a glance to see Hinata was actually face first on the court, the Karasuno third years trying to get the teen up and Kenma took some satisfaction in the fact that he was still standing as he made it over to the line bow to the people in the stands. 

Finally. 

Three years and it was finally over. 

Kenma couldn’t help the smile on his face as he finally looked up to see Kuroo waving at him from the stands with a huge smile. “I’m never touching a volleyball again.”

“Ha!” Tora whacked him on the arm and caused Kenma to stumble into Lev who looked dead on his feet but managed to keep them both standing. “I bet Hinata will rope you into a practice match at least. Lev! Stop crying, we need to get off the court.”

“B-but I wanted to play with you more!” Lev’s tears, like the rest of him, seemed to be overabundant as the second year sobbed openly. 

Kenma just wobbled his way to the bench where the coach was waiting for them. He honestly could barely focus on what Coach Nekomata was saying, instead all he could think about was how fun the match had been. 

His last highschool volleyball match. 

“Our friends are waiting for us.” Coach Nekomata smiled as he tilted his head to the side where the Karasuno team was clearly waiting for them, so both teams could leave the court together. “This won’t be the last battle we have with this team, even if it is the last for some. Let’s make the most of the bonds that we’ve built these past two years and enjoy the rivalry to the fullest.”

Kenma barely got his jacket on before he realized Ennoshita was picking up his bag. The other third year smiled. “Good game, captain.”

Kenma did smirk a little then. “Good luck on your next match, captain.”

“I can’t believe you spiked that ball in my face!” Tanaka’s loud voice interrupted their moment but Kenma didn’t mind as he watched Karasuno’s vice captain pull Tora into a hug.

“Kenma!” Hinata pulled the teen into a hug and Kenma was glad to have his friend to hold on to as they made their way out of the gym and towards one of the waiting rooms where they would be able to do cool down exercises and get ready to watch Karasuno’s next match. 

“Hey, Shoyo.” Kenma smiled a bit as he leaned against his friend. “Thanks for making this fun.”

Hinata didn’t seem to understand but the teen smiled anyway. 

…  
…  
…

Hawks yawned as he glanced at the clock before reaching over and checking Bakugo’s pulse. He had already had Recovery Girl come check the teen out when Bakugo had slept for eight hours and showed no sign of waking up. She had said that between the tranq and Bakugo’s exhaustion that the teen would be asleep for a while and then she had pinched Hawks in the arm for tranqing a student. 

The older blond rubbed his arm, knowing that he would have a bruise as he checked the clock again. 

Twelve hours was probably pushing it right?

“Fffffffuck.” Bakugo’s voice was rough and Hawks found himself smirking as he rolled his chair over to the teen’s bed and made sure to smile as the blond finally opened his eyes. 

“Morning sunshine. How are you feeling?”

Bakugo’s reaction was perfect. The widening of eyes in surprise before they narrowed as the teen clearly remembered what happened and then the transition to an eye roll as Bakugo sat up and stretched his arms. The lack of yelling made Hawks smile, since it most likely meant the teen actually felt well rested. 

Looks like Hawks was going to get away with it this time. 

“I have some bad news and some good news, what do you want first?” Hawks smirked when Bakgo kicked his chair so he rolled away from the teen. “We’ll go with good news first since you clearly have some low blood pressure. Looks like the LOV went back into hiding but LeMillion found their most recent base of operations and he’s partnering with Centipeder at the Nighteye Agency to go over it.”

Bakugo nodded and Hawks lifted an eyebrow as the teen stripped out of his shirt to grab a clean one from the closet. The kid’s body was scarred up and Hawks felt a sense of guilt well up in him at his own failures as a hero that they had to rely on children to take on this kind of damage. 

“What’s the bad news?” Bakugo grunted as he put on a new shirt, it was just a plain black tee shirt and Hawks made sure to give the teen a whistle because Bakugo did look good in dark colors. 

Lucky Deku. 

“Stop being annoying and tell me the bad news. I’m guessing we’re heading back to the warehouse?” Bakugo seemed to pause as if thinking over something and Hawks figured it was better to stop avoiding it. 

“Yao-san, the man who helped us send that message to Deku passed away a few days ago. It was old age, as far as anyone can tell. Melissa thought it would be a good idea to send another message to Deku but it looks like we’re too late on this one.” Hawks watched as the blond nodded. “We’re still not sure if any of our previous messages got to him, there is a chance that Yao-san’s quirk was weakening near the end of his life but we have no way to prove if it was effective or not.”

“Then Deku better get his shit together because we can’t keep waiting for him forever.” Bakugo growled and Hawks smirked. 

The ex-pro had a feeling that Bakugo really would be willing to wait for Deku forever, if that was what was needed. 

“Don’t rush, we’ll go to the warehouse later. You should probably clean up and eat something, maybe say hi to your classmates who kept checking in on you while you took that little nap.” Hawks ducked to avoid Bakugo’s fist and got to his feet making his way to the door with a smile. “Now that I know I didn’t kill you, I’ll be downstairs so hurry it up.”

“Fuck you.” Bakugo always had a way with words. 

Hawks just let himself out into the hall and smiled as he bumped into the redhead who had checked in on Bakugo the most. “Well if it isn’t Red Riot! How is Mirko treating you?”

“She kicks my ass and makes me beg for me, ha!” Kirishima’s smile was infectious and Hawks couldn’t help but choke at what the teen said making Kirishima laugh more. “She said that is what I should tell people, I mean, it’s true but she has a way with words. She’s the manliest.”

“She really is.” Hawks chuckled as he patted the teen on the shoulder. 

Hawks let the redhead go bother Bakugo and made his way down the hall to the stairs since he wanted to keep moving. He went down a few floors and was surprised to find Endeavor’s precious Shoto making out with Tensei Iida’s little brother. The blond paused on the stairs found himself laughing as the smaller Todoroki lifted the larger teen by the ass to create some friction. His laugh made them both pause and Hawks smiled brightly as Iida stared at him in shock while Shoto glared at him. 

“Don’t stop on my account, please.” Hawks made his way down the last few steps before patting both the teens on the shoulder. “I won’t say anything.”

And then he made his way down the last flight as he heard a whispered fight break out behind him. Oh to be young, in love, and horny. 

Hawks hummed as he made it out of the starwell and onto the first flight. 

He wondered if Endeavor would have some time for him tonight. They had been fooling around but Hawks was dying to go all the way. 

“Hawks!” The blond smiled as he tried to turn his thoughts to a cleaner direction as he found the kitchen filled with the girls of class 3-A. Uraraka, the one that spotted him, smiled brightly. “I guess this means Bakugo is awake. Would you like some breakfast?”

“That would be amazing.”

If he couldn’t get into Enji’s pants at this moment, Hawks figured pancakes would be enough to distract him for now. 

…  
…  
…

Deku watched as the ball finally fell after what seemed like the longest match he had ever seen. He knew it wasn’t that much longer, in fact, the Nekoma match had gone on longer than this but each second felt like a minute and the teen couldn’t believe it. 

Inarizaki High defeated Karasuno. 

The shouts in the stadium were unreal, and considering that last year Karasuno had beat the Miya twins only for the twins to get their revenge this year, Deku wondered if the whole stadium had been watching with as much anticipation as he had. 

Deku couldn’t help but laugh as he watched the Miya twins hug each other while screaming as the game was called. He made sure to clap with Saeko, in her full Taiko gear, as they both teared up when Karasuno ran over to bow to them. 

He was so proud of his friends. 

They had made it so far. 

“It’s best not to say anything until we get to the restaurant. Coach Ukai will do most of the talking so just help out where you can.” Saeko hit Deku on the shoulder and motioned for him to go before she turned to her Taiko team and started shouting directions. Even if finals were over for Karasuno, the tournament would still go on and they needed to make room for the fans that still had a team in the stadium. 

The teen grabbed his bag and ran past the crowds until he found the first years who were trying not to cry. Deku did his best to cheer them up but knew it was no use until the Third years and second years arrived. Hinata seemed dazed and excited, while Nishinoya was oddly quiet. Takeda-sensei got Deku’s attention and they were able to get the team to the cool down room before they grabbed their stuff and made it to the bus. 

Takeda-sensei drove them to the hotel and instead of going to their rooms they all piled into the restaurant at the bottom that had been absolutely clear as if the owners had emptied it just for them. 

Deku found himself helping the servers get everyone water and doing whatever Takeda-sensei asked as coach Ukai talked to the team. 

The tears eventually came. 

“What an amazing team I have.” Coach Ukai smiled at all the players. “I’m so proud of each and every one of you.” 

Deku found himself tearing up as he finally sat next to Yachi. The teen felt so stupid, he hadn’t played in the match, but he still found himself wiping the tears from his eyes as everyone continued their meal. 

…  
…  
…

Iida couldn’t believe he was doing this. 

Todoroki had been a bit handsy, when they were alone, and Iida could admit that they even he was getting desperate to take it to the next step but for some reason he felt more embarrassed than he realized he would. It wasn’t even his first time having sex, though he supposed sharing your first time with another virigin took some of the pressure off. Also, Uraraka hadn’t been able to stop laughing until he had finally kissed her into submission. 

Todoroki was not Uraraka. 

For one, Uraraka did not have a penis. 

Iida felt his face heat up as Todoroki pressed another finger into him. Both teens had admitted they hadn’t done anal before but were determind to have sex and somehow ended up with Iida on his back, fully naked and legs spread wide as his boyfriend stretched him out with lube and fingers. 

“Are you uncomfortable?” Todoroki kissed Iida’s thigh as the teen pressed his fingers in again and Iida had to do everything in his power not to cum. His cock felt heavy and aching as it curved against his stomach. Todoroki licked the skin of Iida’s leg before scraping his teeth against it. “Ever time I touch your thigh, you squeeze my fingers.” 

Iida felt like he was going to die as he covered his face. “Please don’t say those things out loud.”

“Tenya.” Todoroki moved and Iida felt the teen take his fingers out making Iida feel empty in a new and confusing way. The teen moved his hand to see what his boyfriend was doing only to find Todoroki’s face close to his own. “Are you okay? We don’t have to, or if you would rather do me then-”

“No-I mean, uh, maybe another time?” Iida pressed a kiss to the smaller teen’s jaw before Todoroki got impatient and moved so that their lips were pressed together, the smaller teen deepening the kiss as he pressed their bodies together. Iida hummed at the contact, at how Todoroki’s hands seemed to try and touch every inch of his skin but the older teen quickly parted as he bit his lip. 

They had been doing heavy petting for months. 

No more. 

Iida wanted to have sex. 

“I’m ready.” Iida grabbed Todoroki by the back of the neck to kiss him one more time before he spread his legs a little wider. “I want to, please Shoto.”

They both smiled then, cheeks turning pink at the action. Somehow embarrassed and turned on at the same time but Iida was glad that Todoroki seemed to understand his urgency before his boyfriend was putting on the condom and using more lube before he started to press in, kissing Iida’s knee at the same time. 

It was weird. 

Iida found himself wrapping one leg around Todoroki’s waist, trying to decide if he wanted the teen to go faster or if he should slow everything down. His other leg was over Todoroki’s shoulder, allowing his boyfriend to rest his head against it as Todoroki groaned, his hips finally flush against Iida. 

They were connected. 

They were together. 

Iida felt so full. 

“You okay?” Shoto’s lips pressed against Iida’s knee and the teen nodded, not trusting his voice as his boyfriend started moving. “You feel good.”

“You feel . . . big.” Iida blushed, his face somehow going redder as he realized what he said. He lifted his hands to cover his face but somehow Todoroki was pressing deeper into him as the teen reached out to grab his hands. 

“Don’t hide.” Shoto was smiling softly as he kissed Tenya’s fingers and the larger teen felt his toes curl as everywhere the teen was touching, inside and out, seemed to send sparks into his eyes. Shoto was kissing him then, their breath mingling as Iida’s hips tried to meet Todoroki’s thrusts. 

It was good. 

It was so good. 

“I like you.” Iida hid his face in Todoroki’s neck after he said the words and he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed even as Shoto kissed the side of his face. 

“I like you, too.” Shoto murmured back as he kissed Iida’s face then down his neck. Shoto’s teeth against his skin was the only warning Iida got before suddenly his boyfriend grunted and it felt like Shoto was swelling inside him, somehow Tenya was even more full. 

“Shhh.” Shoto was kissing him again, and there was a hand around Iida’s weeping cock and it only took a few tugs before Iida was cumming hard, his legs keeping Shoto inside of him as they pressed tightly together. 

They laid there, breathing heavily before chuckling a bit as they both separated. Iida grimaced at the state of his cum covered stomach and Todoroki pulled out as gently as possible before tying off the condom. They were both still a mess but Iida found he didn’t mind right at this moment. 

Not with the way Shoto was still touching him gently, or with the way his boyfriend laid beside him so that they could kiss a bit more. 

A shower would need to happen, and soon, but Iida was going to enjoy the moment a little longer. 

…  
…  
…

Ennoshita found himself laughing as Ryu cried against him. What was supposed to be a deep and meaningful moment for the third years as they celebrated their last night together turned into a night full of tears as Tanaka had finally realized that they were all going their separate ways. 

“I’ll be in Tokyo whenever I’m in the country.” Nishinoya tried before he started to tear up as well. “I’m going to miss all of you so much.”

“We’re not dying.” Ennoshita laughed before that only resulted in him now holding Nishinoya and Tanaka as Kinoshita and Narito laughed at him. “Can you please help me? I’m actually supposed to be meeting someone in a bit.”

“You’re leaving us for Tora!” Tanaka whined and Ennoshita dropped the teen on the floor and left him to Narita before shoving Nishinoya in Kinishita’s direction. 

“Did you read the letter?” Narita seemed genuinely curious and Ennoshita couldn’t understand why he had waited to be so open with his friends. He had stressed for so long but he was glad he could talk to them about this now. 

“I did.” Ennoshita blushed a little bit.

“What are you going to say?” Nishinoya and Tanaka suddenly seemed wide awake and very attentive as all his friends stared at him. 

Ennoshita still didn’t really know what to say to Tora. He was flattered, that was for sure. He could even admit that he thought the teen was attractive, clearly Ennoshita had a type, but he wasn’t sure if he knew Tora well enough. 

But maybe that was what dating was for?

To get to know each other? 

“I’m going to talk to him first before I make my decision.” Ennoshita just rubbed the top of his head before she smiled at his friends. “I’m moving to Tokyo for college so we’ll be closer but I’m not sure we’ll have much in common once I stop playing volleyball.”

All his friends tried to encourage him, in their own weird ways and Ennoshita found himself blushing as he ran into Deku in the hall. The teen was clearly coming back from his nightly run and Ennoshita hoped his blush wasn’t obvious as he made it outside and started walking to the fountain. 

Tora was there, pacing, and Ennoshita found himself smiling as the sight. 

They needed to talk. 

Then maybe, just maybe, he might be willing to see where this went. 

…  
…  
…

“What if you get stuck in the same place that Midoriya is?” Monoma couldn’t help but ask the question that had been plaguing him for the past few weeks. “We have stuff set up but you know all of Melissa’s work is theoretical. We could be sending you into a place where you have no hope of returning.” 

Bakugo was cleaning his arm grenades, the teen made sure his hero costume was ready to go every morning and Monoma had started to find it relaxing to watch the blond work. The teen seemed to be thinking for a moment before he sighed. 

“I already explained everything to my parents and to Deku’s mom. They know the risk but they trust me to make the call.” Bakugo checked the trigger on the arm grenade and made sure to wipe it down before he moved to the next one. “As far as I’m concerned, if this is a one way ticket then at least I still did something. And if I get stuck there then maybe I’ll be able to work with Deku and Eri to get all of us back.”

“Hmm.” Monoma sighed as eyed the teen. “What if Deku doesn’t want to come back?”

“Huh?” Bakugo’s voice got a little higher and Monoma held up his hands to show he wasn’t actually trying to start something this time.

“He’s been gone for nearly a year, in a place we know nothing about, and you know Midoirya . . . kid could become friends with a plant if he spent enough time with it.” Monoma turned so that he was on his back and stared at the ceiling. “What if he found a world without villains, without constant threats? Might seem tempting for someone who was always in the center of it all.”

Monoma heard Bakugo click his tongue and didn’t know how to interpret that response. He figured the teen was going to ignore him but then there was a deep sigh. 

“Deku wouldn’t leave his mom like that, and he would be bored in a world where he couldn’t sacrifice himself every day in some dramatic fashion.” Bakugo’s voice was bored and belittling but Momona heard a sense of bitterness in it that had the blond turning over to stare at the other teen. Bakugo growled a bit before he glared at Monoma. “The little shit doesn’t have a choice, he’s coming back. And if doesn’t want to then he better be willing to fight to stay.”

Monoma pursed his lips, another question on the tip of his tongue before the door the warehouse opened and All Might walked in. Monoma just huffed and put his head down to get some rest. 

He was supposed to be taking a nap anyway. 

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

Monoma and jumped to their feet as Melissa's computer suddenly turned red and started making a continuous beeping noise. There was shouting down the hall and that apparently was all the warning Bakugo needed as he started suiting up and Monoma found himself running to the computer to try and understand what it was saying before suddenly Melissa was there. 

“It’s Deku! He’s using his quirk!” 

…  
…  
…

“Man, the rain is really coming down.” Tanaka sighed, his head against the window. Most of the team was sleeping but Deku found himself glancing around. He got up from his seat and made his way to the front, sitting next to a frowning Ukai as they stared out the windshield to see the nearly blinding rain. 

“Sensei, can you see?” Ukai seemed genuinely concerned and even Deku had to admit he was having a hard time seeing the road ahead of them. 

“I can make out signs and the lines on the road.” The teacher sighed. “I want to pull over but we’re on the mountain so there won’t be a spot for a few more miles. Keishin, can you make sure everyone has their belts on?”

Ukai nodded and got up, making his way through the bus and waking the students who weren’t belted in. There was some grumbling but as more and more kids saw the rain, the belts started to get buckled quickly. Deku himself buckled himself up front, wanting to try and keep an eye on the road with Takeda-sensei in case the man needed help. 

“I don’t like this.” Takeda sighed and Deku hummed in agreement as he glanced out the window to see if he could see anything else. The road was a bit blurry but overall it seemed fine. To the left was darkness and Deku knew it would be nothing but mountain and trees. He tried to remember what this part of the road looked like and turned to the right, wondering how crazy the ocean would look in this kind of storm. 

The weather had been nice in Tokyo, too. 

Deku paused as he realized how tightly Takeda was holding the steering wheel and the teen suddenly remembered how the man had lost his parents as a child. Driving in a storm before they were swept into the ocean . . . the teen wondered if it was on this road but did not want to ask. Instead he looked back to try and get Ukai’s attention to see the older man staring against one of the side windows with wide eyes before he shouted. 

“HOLD ON!” His voice was drowned out as suddenly there was a loud roaring noise before a loud bang as something slammed against the side of the bus. Deku barely had a chance to get out of his seat as a tree broke through a window, separating him and Takeda from the rest of the bus as mud started to pour in. 

“FUCK!” Takeda was trying to keep the bus on the road but it was already too late, they were slammed against the side railing and as the mudslide continued to hit the bus and slowly lift it off the ground. The bus was already tilting and Deku slammed his foot against the branch so that he could pull Takeda towards the back with the other students as the front continued to fill with mud. 

“Everyone stay calm!” Ukai was making everyone move to the left of the bus to try and weigh it down but there was only so much a group of teenagers could do against the broken ground, trees, and mud that continued to try and shove the bus off the road. 

Deku swore under his breath, the windows were too fogged up for him to see. He jumped on the seats in the middle and shoved the emergency exit up top open, ignoring how the rain felt solid as it hit him in the face. He could see a little better and found himself staring at two large trees that the bus was being shoved towards. 

If the trees didn’t stop the bus then they would be shoved into the ocean with the rest of the mud. 

He couldn’t let that happen. 

Not after all this time. 

“Does anyone have a rope?” Deku popped back down, hating how the water was now pouring down him but glad to see everyone was trying to stay calm. 

“I have the net! The one we use for practice.” Yachi was pulling out the folded net from her bag, the girl was shivering and her clothes were getting soaked in the rain but she didn’t say anything else before she threw it at Deku. Once he caught it she turned her attention to the first years who were huddled together under what looked like extra Karasuno jackets, most likely from older members of the team. 

“Let me help.” Ukai was holding what looked like some rope he must have found in the emergency kit. Deku nodded as he grabbed the rope and crawled onto the roof of the bus, already cursing the fact that his sneakers weren’t gripping on the wet surface. 

The bus lurched suddenly, causing everyone to shout and Deku found himself sliding down before a hand grabbed him and he stared up at Coach Ukai who was holding Deku’s arm and now looking more panicked now that it was just the two of them on the roof. 

“Give me your rope. I’m going to tie it around my waist so we stay connected!” Deku shouted, unsure if the man could hear him over the noise but it seemed like Ukai at least understood what Deku was saying as the older man looped the rope around his waist and tied it before helping Deku tie it around himself. It gave Deku room for movement and it would make sure he didn’t get taken away . . . or if he did, he would be taking Ukai with him. “I’m going to try and tie the bus to the tree. We’re going to go over but I think the tree will keep us from falling in the ocean.”

“I’ll tell everyone to hold on and pull you back.” Ukai ducked down and Deku couldn’t hear him but he knew the man was talking to the students. The bus lurched again and Deku found himself holding on until Ukai popped back up and then he let himself slip over the side. 

There was a shout, or maybe it was more wood breaking but it was a noise that started Deku but he forced himself forward. The rope tied to Ukai gave him about 30 feet to move and it was just enough for Deku to make it to the tree, the bus now hanging above him as he tried to tie the net to tree but the bus lurched forward again and the rope going slack was the only warning Deku got before suddenly he was holding the bus up, the net being swept away with the rest of the debri as Deku tried to stay balanced on the tree. 

One For All was sparking around him and Deku started screaming as he shoved the bus up, trying to keep it as close to the road as possible. 

There was a loud snap and Deku found himself staring at the tree beneath him as it cracked under the pressure of him and the bus. 

No. 

No. No. No. 

“Izuku!!” Deku glanced up from the side of the bus he was holding to see Yachi at the window. “Ennoshita was able to call emergency services, they’re sending someone!”

That didn’t help them now. 

Deku nodded as he tried to shove the bus back onto the road but the mudslide just shoved back and Deku found himself sliding against the bark of the tree. 

He needed blackwhip. 

He needed blackwhip right now or it would be-

The tree snapped underneath him and Deku found himself sliding against the side of the bus as he lost his grip, the bus slowly toppling with him as he fell. He still reached out, trying to get blackwhip to work

Nothing. 

…  
…  
…

“Keep this on you and make sure you’re holding onto Deku and Eri.” Melissa attached a small box to his belt. “It’ll start beeping when the window is closing and you’ll need to book it. Press the button when you have them and it’ll cause a reverse wormhole that should send you back here.”

“And if it doesn’t work?” Hawks asked, causing Bakugo to grab the man’s shoulder. 

“I’m going.” The blond wasn’t going to argue about this. Not with the alarm blaring.

“The box is tied to the sensors on Monoma. He can only activate three quirks for so long and we don’t know what kind of strain throwing you in the mix will cause.”

“Hit the button when the alarm sounds, got it.” Bakugo took a deep breath before walking into the encased glass room with Monoma. They didn’t exchange any words but Monoma gave him a nod before suddenly a portal appeared between them. Bakugo took a deep breath before he smirked. “If I don’t come back then tell Todoroki he can have my sports festival medals, since he was never able to win gold.”

“You’re such a shit.” Monoma groaned and those were the last words Bakugo heard as he jumped into the portal. 

It was like being pulled by an invisible thread, his sense of balance was being thrown sideways. He felt like he should be able to stand even as he floated through the air before suddenly he was surrounded by the smell of salt in the air. Bakugo only had had a second to brace himself before suddenly he was falling.

Wherever he was it was raining and the blond had to force his eyes to stay open as he tried to watch his landing. The ground seemed to be moving beneath him and he held out his hand to blast his way out of the path but nothing happened. The blond clicked his tongue as before he realized he was making a beeline for what looked like a bus that was about to be shoved off the road. 

Bakugo braced himself to roll as he landed on the wet metal. Hearing a loud scream as the bus jolted by his action but he couldn’t slow down as he slid across the roof and found the emergency hatch was open. He grabbed the side and found himself face to face with an older man who seemed startled at the site of him. 

“Where is Deku?!” Bakugo pushed the man back in the bus, noting the string tied to the man’s waist as he rolled in and landed with a thud.

The bus was filled with teenagers. 

“We died, didn’t we?!” A blond girl seemed like she was about to collapse any minute. “We’re being taken to heaven by a hot grim reaper.”

Where the fuck was Deku?

“Y-y-you’re Kacchan!” Bakugo blinked as he saw a plain looking teen staring at him. “Oh my god, you’re here for Izuku.”

“And of course the little shit needs to be saved when I finally find him. Where is the fucker?” Bakugo growled and felt like he was going to pop when they pointed outside, particularly to the rope that was hanging down the side of the bus and was still tied to the older man that Bakugo had shoved out of the way. 

When he saved Deku, and whoever these people were, he was going to make sure the nerd never left his side again. 

First thing first, he needed to save the civilians. 

Then he would take Deku home. 

…  
…  
…

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, DEKU?!” 

The rope around Deku’s waist was taught and Deku found himself staring up, unsure if he heard right. The bus stopped falling, which was great, but now Deku was dangling over the cliff and hearing things. 

Why did the bus stop?

Deku grabbed the rope and started pulling himself, letting the adrenaline push him as he made it to the near window, and knowing that he wouldn’t be able to get in through the roof with the bus on it’s side like this. The window opened and Deku found himself starting eye to eye with a pissed off blond he had been dreaming about in full Ground Zero costume. 

“Ka-”

“Get the fuck in here.” Bakugo didn’t give him a choice as the blonde pulled Deku through the window before shutting it. Deku untied the rope around his waist and didn’t have a chance to say anything when he realized how the bus was staying up. 

Handcuffs, the ones they used for power-type quirks were snapped to the road railing and the bus, keeping it up but it wouldn’t hold forever. 

“We need to get out of the path of the mudslide, we don’t-”

“We need to stop the mudslide.” Kacchan growled back. 

Deku wanted to kiss the teen, he had missed that face so much. He had missed that voice, had missed seeing Kacchan in action. But Kacchan was here now, he was here with Deku. The teen watched as his childhood friend shoved Ukai out of the way as he kicked open one of the broken windows that had him facing the mudslide. Deku could see what Kacchan was thinking and had to run over to the blond. 

It wouldn’t work. 

“Kacchan, your quirk won’t work here. It took me months before I-” Deku grabbed the blond and Bakugo just smirked at him. 

They were all covered in water and mud but somehow Kacchan had never looked more beautiful to Deku than in that moment. 

“You didn’t think I would notice right off the bat? Why do you think I didn’t blast your face off?” Bakugo held up one of his grenades with a menacing look. “Luckily, I don’t need my quirk to blast mother nature’s fucking face off.”

Deku just blinked before he turned to the bus. “Everyone, down!”

“Izuku, what is-” 

Deku grabbed Tanaka and pulled the teen down with him. He had now idea what would happen in this world with Bakugo’s grenades but he imagined they would be just as powerful. 

Even with the thundering noise of the mudslide around them, Deku could make out the distinct noise of the pin leaving Bakugo’s grenade and that was the only warning they got before suddenly there was a bright light, and an explosion so loud that Deku’s ears started ringing. The bus shuddered and Deku stared at his friends, muddied but alive as the all huddled together. 

The bus filled with the smell of burning but Deku watched as the bright light dimmed and he found himself scrambling out of his space to find Kacchan standing on the road, the mudslide blasted to the side so that it was using as different past as it continued down the mountain and started to slow. 

Steam seemed to come off the blonde as the rain hit him and all Deku could think was Kacchan. 

Kacchan was here. 

Kacchan had come to get him. 

Deku hadn’t even realized his feet had moved before suddenly he was grabbing the blond. He grabbed Kacchan’s arms, his hands, his face. Trying to make sure that he was real. 

Kacchan was here. 

“I love you.” The words spilled out of Deku’s mouth and he couldn’t take them back. Didn’t want to even though Kacchan was staring at him in surprise. “I promised myself that I would tell you if I ever saw you again. I don’t want to regret never saying those words to you ever again.”

“Deku, where is Eri?” Bakugo was grabbing Deku’s shoulders now as he stared at the teen. “Why aren’t you together? She wasn’t on the bus and we don’t have time.”

Deku felt his heart start to beat faster. This wasn’t the time for confessions, he had other things he was supposed to be prioritizing. 

“She’s not coming back, Kacchan.” Deku tried to grab Bakugo’s hands but the teen had released him as he started pacing. “It’s hard to explain but she’s happy here, Kacchan. She has a family and she-”

“What do you mean she’s not coming back? She’s just a kid, your nerd.” Bakugo ran his hand through his hair like Deku had done something he didn’t understand and Deku grabbed the teen again so Bakugo would look at him. 

“Her quirk doesn’t work here, Kacchan. She’s finally free from it.” Deku tried to explain, knowing that time was limited.

“Midoriya!” Deku took a step back. Someone was waving to him from the bus and he needed to go back but he wasn’t sure if Kacchan would understand. 

“I promise you, she’s happy. I can explain once this is taken care of.” Deku didn’t hear if Bakugo said anything as he ran back over to the bus. The teen found himself staring at a very pale Takeda-sensei. 

“We need to get off the bus.” Takeda-sensei was shaken but his voice was clear. Deku had to clear his thoughts as he turned to his friends. He needed to make sure they were safe, he needed to make sure they were okay. 

Once everyone was out, Deku pulled the bus onto the street. Kacchan helped with some first aid, apparently Ukai had hit his head when Deku had slipped and the older man was bleeding pretty badly but Kacchan said he would be fine. 

Kacchan. 

“Izuku.” Deku glanced back to see Takeda-sensei standing in front of him, holding his bag. “Don’t forget to take this with you.”

Deku found his eyes widening at the thought. 

He was leaving. 

He was really leaving. 

“Thank you for taking care of Deku.” Suddenly Kacchan was at his side and Deku watched with his mouth open as Kacchan reached out to take Deku’s bag and shake the older man’s hand. “We have to go. Now.”

“Thank you!” Deku pulled Takeda-sensei into a hug, unsure of what else to say. He wrote them all letters and the older man knew where to find them but even then Deku couldn’t believe this was happening. 

“Take care of yourself, Izuku . . . or, uh, Deku.” Takeda-sensei smiled, the side of his face had a cut on it from when the glass broke and Deku wasn’t sure if he could leave the older man like this.

He needed to make sure they were okay. 

There was a loud beeping noise and Deku turned to see Kacchan swearing as he held up a small device on his belt. The blond grabbed Deku then, and pulled the teen away from the Karasuno team and Deku couldn’t help but wave and shout back to them. “Thank you! I really mean it, thank you!”

They were shouting back but Deku couldn’t hear it as the beeping grew louder and louder. The teen let Bakugo drag him away until they were out of sight from his friends and the beeping was almost unbearable. The blond paused for a moment before he glanced at Deku. “This might not work so hold on.”

Deku took his bag from Kacchan and wrapped his arms around the blond’s waist, something he had done a few times when they had tried to fly together - even though it never worked out. “I’m ready.”

And he was ready. 

He was finally going home. 

“Oh, yeah . . .” Kacchan’s voice was rough and Deku glanced up to see what was wrong before lips pressed against his. The kiss was hard and unrelenting, Kacchan only pulling back when he was done as the red-eyed teen smirked at Deku. “I love you, too.”

Then he pressed the button and the world went sideways. 

…  
…  
…

Bakugo felt the world spin before suddenly he fell to the ground with a hard thud. He groaned as the room spun before he realized he had fallen on something, or someone, this time and he found himself pressed up against Deku, covered in mud and bruises, as they stared at each other. 

Deku.

Deku was back. 

Bakugo saw movement to the side of the container he was in but before he could look up he felt two shaky hands grab his face. He glanced down to see Deku staring at him with wonder as tears slowly filled the teen’s eyes. “Kacchan . . . it’s really you.”

Something warred inside the blond as he stared down at Deku. Nearly a year of his life without the teen beside him and Bakugo had felt like he had been going mad. 

Bakugo wondered if Deku had felt the same in that other world. 

“It’s me.” He grabbed one of Deku’s hands before bending down to kiss the teen, ignoring their wet clothes and the filth they were covered in. 

Deku was back. 

Bakugo finally had Deku back. 

He pressed another kiss to the teen, happy that Deku seemed to be responding in kind before he got frustrated and growled, grabbing the teen’s jaw. “Open your damn mouth, Deku.”

“Yeah, okay.” Deku barely let out a breathy reply before they were kissing again. This time Deku opened his mouth. The teen made a surprised noise as Bakugo’s tongue pressed against his and the blond found himself growling as he realized this was Deku’s first kiss. 

He was Deku’s first kiss. 

His hand traced up Deku’s jaw, enjoying how the teen seemed to purr at the touched before his gloved hand stroked the teen’s ear, pushing Deku’s long hair back before a small shine started him. Bakugo found himself pulled back to really look at the teen beneath him. “Did you fucking pierce your ears?”

“Uh . . .” Deku responded, always so helpful. 

“Oh my.” All Might’s voice was like a bucket of ice water and Bakugo growled again before he finally separated from the teen beneath him to stare at the crew of onlookers. All Might and Melissa’s faces were red, everyone else either seemed bored or smug about the whole thing. 

“Midoriya, where is Eri?” Aizawa’s voice broke through the moment and Bakugo found himself moving from the teen beneath him so that Deku could get off the ground. The teen scrambled, slipping on the floor for a moment. 

The teen did the only thing he could and he ran over to his teacher and grabbed AIzawa’s hands. 

“Aizawa-sensei, she’s-”

“Why isn’t she here?” Aizawa’s voice sounded distant and Deku had thought he had been ready to face the man but suddenly found his voice caught in his throat. It had been an easy decision in the other world, after all, Eri had started her own family and had been away from everyone for decades. 

The same could not be said for Aizawa, who was clutching Deku’s hand as if trying to prepare himself. Mirio was behind the man, and Deku wondered if MIrio was keeping Aizawa standing as the blond seemed just as unsure as the older man. 

“Let him breathe, he just got back and we don’t-” Melissa started but Deku cut her off as he shook his head.

“It’s fine. Aizawa-sensei, Eri decided to stay. I have a message from her, when you’re ready, but a lot of things happened. She found a family, and she liked living in a world without quirks.” Deku stuttered as he realized he wasn’t doing a good job of reiterating everything Eri had told him. 

His bag. 

He needed his bag. 

Deku felt his heart sink as he realized he wasn’t holding the bag but it was shortly lived as Bakugo was by his side, holding it out for the teen to take. Deku found himself overwhelmed as his hand touched Bakugo’s but he pushed through as he turned to his homeroom teacher. 

The teen pulled out his tablet, almost shocked to see it still worked and wasn’t damaged as he turned it on. “Watch this, you’ll understand . . .”

Aizawa stared at the tablet for a moment before taking it slowly from Deku’s hands. The teen opened his mouth, wondering if he should explain more but Aizawa shook his head and Deku fell silent. The older man grabbed Mirio and the two of them walked away from the crowd to where a few seats were, and Deku wondered if this was all the privacy they could give them. 

Or maybe even after all of this, this was as far as Aizawa was willing to let Deku leave his sight. 

“Look at you! You’re a mess!” Melissa seemed determined to lighten the mood in the room as she threw a blanket around Deku’s shoulders. “Do you want to shower? Or food? Or-”

“My boy!” Melissa was cut off and everyone was shoved away as All Might pulled Deku into a hug, not caring about the mud or the wet cloths. All Might was crying and Deku found himself unable to hold back the tears as his hero held him tightly. “My boy, we were worried. So worried!”

“I’m sorry.” Deku closed his eyes. He could hear Bakugo in the background talking to someone and the teen wanted to grab the blond but he held back and let himself be hugged by All Might. He needed a moment to let everything catch up with him and even though he was happy, so happy, Deku couldn’t stop himself from breaking down into tears. 

He was home. 

He had left his friends behind. 

He was finally home, with Kacchan. 

He had left Eri behind. 

His mom. He could finally see mom. 

“My boy.” All Might’s arms loosened a bit as if to give Deku room to breath and the teen shook his head, he didn’t mean to cry like this. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry-” Deku didn’t know what else to say but he didn’t need to say anything because suddenly Kacchan was there. The teen had taken off his gauntlets and now it was Bakugo’s bare hand against the back of Deku’s neck as the blond pulled the teen to him. Deku couldn’t stop the tears then. 

“Shhh, it’s okay.” Bakugo’s voice was rough and soft and Deku found himself curling into the teen. “You’re home now, it’ll be okay.”

It was okay. 

They would have time for explanations later. Deku had so much to tell them and he was sure they had more stories for him but right now, in this moment, Deku needed a moment. 

He was home.. 

Really home. 

…  
…  
...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Monoma/Shinso teen sex  
> -Shots/Tenya teen sex  
> -Love confessions  
> -Kissing  
> -Being put in dangerous situations  
> -Tranq-ing teens without consent  
> -Emotions
> 
> Thank you so much for the reviews and thank you to everyone who has been holding on till the end! Only one more chapter left!!


	18. I Need A Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note:   
> IT IS DONE! 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has made it this far in the fic. I had a lot of fun writing it and I really hope you enjoyed it. It’s not perfect, of course, there were a lot of things I ended up cutting or leaving out as this all came together because I wanted to smooth over some bits. I am thinking about doing one-shots down the road of scenes that I never got to but for now, this is it! 
> 
> Thank you for the reviews, and the support! This fic was a monster, my first 200k story, but it is definitely something that I’m proud of! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this last chapter!
> 
> **Content Warnings at the bottom!**

Eri smiled, tucking her hair behind her hair as she glanced at the camera. “I’m Haiba Eri, formerly Aizawa Eri. I’m not sure who Deku-nii will show this video to but I hope that he shows this to AIzawa-san first.”

She paused a bit, and even on the screen of the tablet she was a beauty. 

“Aizawa-san, Eraserhead . . . Shota . . . if it wasn’t for you then I would have been lost forever. Even after Deku-nii and Mirio-nii saved me from that horrible place . . . you were the one that gave me a home. The three of you taught me how to smile again, made me remember how to laugh.” Eri paused, glancing off screen for a moment with a soft look before she turned her attention back to the camera. “I know you miss me, and I want you to know that I miss you but I can’t go back. I know it might seem weird but I’m probably older than you now and you might not believe this but I have my own family.”

She looked away again as if trying to compose herself and a man walked on the screen to sit next to her. He pushed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead before murmuring something to her and Eri smiled at him like he was everything. 

It hurt. 

It hurt to see her older, to see evidence of a life that he hadn’t been able to be there for. Aizawa held the tablet close, afraid she would disappear as soon as it left his hands. He hadn’t been able to watch the video fully at the warehouse, instead had put his emotions aside to make sure Midoriya made it to the hospital for a check up. 

It was only when the teen had been carted away by some doctors, with a stubborn Bakugo refusing to let Midoriya out of his sight, that Aizawa had found an empty room to watch the video with Mirio at his side. 

Eri. 

His Eri. 

Eri laughed again before turning to the camera. “This is my husband, Luka.”

“It is an honor to meet you.” Luka bowed his head deeply and it made Aizawa smirk, as if this man in his forties needed to bow down to him for anything. Luka paused a bit before he grabbed Eri’s hand. “Your daughter is an amazing woman. I knew I was going to marry her as soon as I met her and I’ve never been happier in my life. I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to make sure she has a happy life.”

“He seems nice.” Mirio murmured and Aizawa clicked his tongue at the younger man. 

“But is he strong enough to protect her?” The older man sighed, leaning against Mirio’s chest as he watched the video continue. 

“Shota . . . Eri can take care of herself.” Mirio pressed his lips to the side of Aizawa’s head. “You taught her that.” 

Eri spoke gently, and Aizawa was glad to see that hadn’t changed. She was more confident now, not afraid of her words, but she was still the little girl he had made a home for. She told him about the family that had taken her in, about the time when she met Luka, this time with Luka adding some bits about how amazing she was in college and how every person in the school had been in love with her. She told him about her research and her time in Russia. 

Mirio’s arms hugged him tightly 

There was a commotion to the side and the camera ended up falling over as Eri laughed. A grumpy looking teen with medium length dyed hair picked it up with a bored expression before it was righted again. Eri smiled at the camera as Luka was yelling russian before stomping off screen. Eri just shrugged. “Thanks, Kenma-kun, for recording this for me. Tell Tetsuro-kun that I’m sorry for taking you away for the day.”

“He’ll get over it.” A bored voice spoke and then Luka was back on the camera with two teenagers. A young blond woman who had Eri’s looks and Luka’s coloring, and a teen that looked more like Luka but with Eri’s coloring. 

Aizawa found himself holding his breath at the sight of them. 

“She’s a mom.” Mirio’s voice was soft, just as astonished as Aizawa was. 

Eri. 

His little Eri was a mom. 

“These are my two children, Alisa and Lev.” Eri’s kids sat on either side of her and Luka sat next to them. They were a beautiful family, and judging by body language and the apartment they were in -- they were a well off and happy family. 

Eri had a family. 

“I wanted you to meet them for the longest time and just to have this chance to show you my kids . . . ha.” Eri seemed to be startled at her own emotional reaction. Alisa and Lev both grabbed each of her hands and she laughed. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just . . .”

Eri smiled at the camera, a tear rolling down her cheek. “The biggest regret I have in my life is that I never called you dad, Aizawa-san. And maybe I don’t have the right to ask this after so many years but I hope it’s okay that I call you father, and that when I talk about you to my kids that I tell them about how amazing their grandfather is.”

“Gramps, mom still says you are the coolest hero in your world.” Lev spoke up, clearly trying to give his mom a moment as she let go of her children’s hands so that she could wipe her tears. “I still think Deku is the coolest.”

Aizawa did not know how to feel about being called Gramps. 

He was only 33. 

“Deku brought us photos of you!” Alisa jumped in with a bright smile. “I didn’t realize my grandpa had such a handsome young husband.” 

Aizawa and Mirio both blushed at that. 

Eri laughed, clearly more composed as she kissed both her children’s heads before Luka smiled at the camera. “Aizawa-san, or uh, father-in-law, we named our first child after you. You might not have been here with her through the years she was in this world but you were always with her in her heart. We decided on the name Alisa in honor of Aizawa, and with respect to all the love my wife still holds for you.” 

Eri smiled as she pulled Lev to her. “And we named Lev in honor of the two men who reminded me that happiness was possible. My hero LeMillion and my husband Luka.” 

“If you had a third kid, would you have named them Deku?” The bored voice on the other side of the camera seemed to startle everyone before Eri laughed brightly. 

“Dari!” Eri and Luka said at the same time before they both laughed again. Eri shook her head. “I never told Deku-nii about that, but we ended up only having two.”

“We don’t really need any more Haibas in the world.” The bored voice responded, Lev and Alisa both shouted something in russian that had their dad yelling at them while Eri laughed with her family. 

She was happy. 

She was so happy. 

“Do you think she would have been this happy if she had stayed here?” Aizawa let the words out and regretted them as soon as he felt Mirio tense behind him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

“We would have made sure of it.” Mirio placed another kiss to the side of his head and Aizawa sighed as he watched Eri and her family try to tell more stories, try to catch Aizawa up on everything he had missed of their lives. 

Aizawa wondered if Midoriya had taken photos of them for him to hang up in his home. 

He was a grandpa now, after all. 

…  
....  
…

Saeko held her brother and Takeda close in a hug as both the men were cleared from emergency services. They were filthy and the blanket around them didn’t do much for their wet clothes but she felt like she could finally breathe as she held both of them in her arms. 

“Power went out in town and I heard about it on the radio.” She felt her eyes tear up as her adrenaline finally died down. “I had thought the worst and I couldn’t . . . I couldn’t-”

“We’re safe, we’re all safe.” Take-chan tried to wipe her tears with his blanket and ended up getting mud on her face. “Oh-”

“It’s fine.” Saeko laughed as she finally took a breath. She glanced around at the students who were either walking to their parents or still talking to emergency services. She paused as she came up a face short. “Where’s-”

“He went home.” Ryu smiled at his sister, it was somehow both happy and sad. “His friend he was always mooning over showed up and they saved our lives and then Izuku was gone.”

“What was his hero name? Kacchan?” Saeko tried to remember the name of the blond in the pictures Deku would stare at. She wiped some of the dirt off Ryu’s head with a small smile. “He saved you?”

“It was amazing.” Take-chan added, seemingly still in awe. The older man glanced over just as Ukai limped over to them and pulled the younger man to his side. “I’ll have to tell everyone my cousin went back home.”

“I’m actually going to miss him.” Ukai admitted and everyone smiled at that. 

“Do you think . . .” Ryu started before he blushed and mumbled the rest. “Do you think he’ll miss us?”

Saeko pulled her brother into another hug, not caring if she was embarrassing him as she forced out a laugh. Her emotions were all over the place but she didn’t want Ryu to worry as she held him tight. “Of course he will! Even if it was only for a while, we’re his Karasuno family and that doesn’t change just cause he has superpowers and is off to another planet.”

“Well, not quite another planet but maybe a-” Take-chan started and Saeko waved him off. 

“I’ll miss our local alien but I know he’ll miss us more. I mean, we only have to miss one person but he has to miss ALL OF US!” Saeko finally let go of Ryu so that she could make sure he wasn’t crying and was happy to see her brother was smiling at her. 

“There are a lot of us.”

“Exactly! Now, let’s get everyone home.” Saeko motioned for them to go to the new bus that the city had brought to move everyone, now that their old bus was a mess. She could see the school’s vice principal running over to them so she left them to start checking on the other students. 

They were alive, and that was all that mattered. 

They were alive, and it was all thanks to Izuku and Kacchan. 

Saeko pulled Yachi into a hug and let the girl burst out into tears against her. Happy to be the firm shoulder for the girl for a few moments before she started to direct her to the bus. 

Saeko wished she’d had one last chance to thank him but she knew that wherever he was, he would know how grateful she was to him. 

…  
…  
....

Deku hugged his mom tightly as she sobbed in his arms. It was only a little awkward because Kacchan was behind him and the other teen wouldn’t give them any space but he figured it was fine since his mom didn’t seem to mind. In fact his mom had hugged Kacchan first before she had grabbed Deku and burst into tears. 

“I’m sorry I left you for so long, mom.” Deku held her close, not really understanding everything she was saying but knowing that he was so glad to see her again. “I missed you so much. I love you, mom.”

“Just be glad I took care of her for you, nerd.” Bakugo growled and Deku found himself leaning back against the blond as Bakugo pulled both Deku and Inko into a hug. “I promised to bring him back, obasan.” 

“Oh, Katsuki, you did!” Inko kissed Deku’s forehead before pulling Bakugo down so she could kiss his forehead as well. Deku laughed as he mom tried to hug both of them before she took a step back and grabbed his cheeks. “You’ve lost so much weight.”

“Mainly muscle.” Deku laughed but went silent as Bakugo growled behind him. Deku let his mom continue to inspect him. “The doctors said I was fine, mom. They even said I didn’t need to check in-”

“You are staying the night.” Both Inko and Bakugo spoke at the same time and Deku let himself deflate against the larger teen behind him as his mom continued to tut over him. 

“Oh, your hair is so long. Did they not have scissors where you were? And your ears! Is that going to be okay for UA’s dress code?” Inko sighed and Deku just smiled before he pulled his mom into another hug. 

He missed her so much. 

“There you are! Is this your room?” Mitsuki slammed the door open with a smile and Bakugo’s dad followed after her carrying some bags. “I know you’re only staying for the night but I figure you might want a change of clothes.” 

“Thanks.” Deku and Bakugo said at the same time and Deku found himself staring at the blond in surprise. 

“If you think Katsuki is going to let you out of his sight, you got another thing coming.” Mitsuki cackled as she threw the bag on the floor and shoved both Inko and Bakugo away so that she could pull Deku into a hug. “Welcome to the family! About time!”

“Huh?” Deku felt his face go red as he glanced at Kacchan. 

“What? I told them we were dating while you were getting a check up.” Bakugo paused and then glared at Deku. “Unless you didn’t mean it?” 

“No! I meant it!” Deku felt his face heating up as he turned to his mom who was always blushing. “I just thought we would tell them together.”

“I took care of it, now get into the bed and get some rest.” Bakugo shoved the bag into Deku’s arms so the teen could change clothes before he glared at his parents. “Go get some food. It’s only a matter of time before the fucking extras show up and then he won’t have time to eat.”

“Aw, he really is in love.” Mitsuki teased, making both Deku and Bakugo blush but Inko just hugged her son one more time before hugging Bakugo. 

“Thank you for bringing him home.” She smiled at both the teens before she glanced at her phone. “We’ll go get some Katsudon and be right back. Katsuki, watch over him okay?”

Deku opened his mouth to protest, they were all being ridiculous but he gave up with a sigh and started going through the bag to find some clothes. He was a bit surprised to find they were all Kacchan’s clothes but figured that made sense. He smiled as he found an All Might shirt and some bottoms to change into before he glanced at the door that had a bathroom. 

“I’m going to take a shower and change.” Deku figured announcing his intentions would work in his favor so that Bakugo wouldn’t think he was going to disappear again but instead he found himself frozen as red eyes regarded him. 

“Did you want me to join you?” Bakugo smirked.

Deku found his brain short circuiting and felt his face go red as he fled to the bathroom, trying to ignore Bakugo’s chuckling as he shut the door. 

Dating?

He was dating Kacchan?

Deku forced himself to keep moving so that he didn’t get lost in his thoughts. He needed to clean up, he still had mud in weird places over his body and the sooner he could change the sooner Bakugo could change. 

And then they could talk. 

And maybe kiss some more. 

But talk. 

And definitely kiss. 

But talking first!

…  
…  
…

“Izuku, I’m not sure when you’re going to see this.” Takeda-sensei laughed on the screen as the man rubbed the bottom of his nose. “I just sent you on an errand so I could finally record this so I’ll apologize now for sending you out to get melon soda. It was all I could think of, haha.”

“Good riddance, stay in your world from now on.” Ukai’s voice was off screen and it made Takeda glare to the side before the teacher huffed. 

“You don’t mean it.” Takeda then turned to the screen. “He really doesn’t. I know you both had a rocky start but we’re going to miss you. Both of us.”

“I can speak for myself.” Ukai was suddenly on screen, sighing as he wrapped his arm around Takeda’s shoulder and pointed at the screen. “Midoriya, you were a nuisance but you also were a lot of help. My parents and grandpa are going to miss you. I’m going to miss you. But most of all, I’m going to be happy that you are back with your friends and family back home.”

“But if you ever end up in Karasuno, you always have a home here!” Takeda added with a smile and Ukai laughed. 

“Wasn’t this already traumatic enough for him? Let the kid go.” Ukai had an unlit cigarette in his hand that he tucked behind his ear as he smiled at the camera. “Midoriya, go home and spend time with the people you love and never come back. If you end up staying here then we’ll do our best to make this the best home you could have ever wanted but if you go home, don’t waste any time worrying about us. Your home sounds a lot scarier than ours so we’ll just worry about you instead.”

“That almost sounds like you care.” Takeda’s smile was bright as he kissed Ukai’s cheek. 

The younger man blushed a bit more before he pulled Takeda into a deeper kiss, the screen quickly turning off a moment later. 

…  
…  
…

“What do you mean your family’s house is gone?” Deku stared wide eyed at the screen of the old news report. Kacchan had been trying to update him on everything that had happened while he was gone, and after Aizawa had returned Deku’s tablet he had been able to show the blond the people he had met in the other world. 

“It was Shigaraki being pissed that he couldn’t find you.” Kacchan growled, even sitting next to Deku in the hospital bed still somehow felt unreal and the blond had to touch the blond every few moments to make sure that Deku was there. 

That Deku was really with him. 

“You weren’t even in costume, this was dangerous Kac-” Bakugo silenced Deku by grabbing the teen’s face with one hand as he glared at Deku. 

“I was going home with my family after YOUR memorial service. And if anyone gets to lecture me about dangerous behavior, it’s not you.” Bakugo let go, glancing away as Deku rubbed his jaw and glared back in his direction. 

There was a silent beat before both teens sighed and Bakugo found himself turning back over to Deku so that he was crowding into the teen’s space. Deku didn’t seem to mind as he put the tablet away on the side table but he still seemed unsure of what Bakugo was doing. “Our parents should be back any moment-”

“Next time, make sure I’m right beside you.” Bakugo kept his voice soft, knowing the nerd would hear it as he pressed himself against Deku’s side and stared down at the burnette. Deku just stared up at him for a moment and Bakugo growled. “I’m saying don’t leave me behind.”

Deku blinked at that before his cheeks went a little pink and Bakugo found himself reaching up to rub his hand against the teen’s cheek. 

Deku was here. 

Deku was with him right now. 

“Ka-kacchan . . .” Deku started and Bakugo found himself making eye contact with his childhood friend. “Are we really dating now?”

Bakugo paused, staring down at the idiot beneath him. 

This fucker. 

“Huh? Of course we’re dating, why would I tell our parents if we aren’t?” Bakugo let his hand leave the teens face as he sat back with a groan. Had he misread the situation? Deku had said he loved him, and Bakugo had admitted that he felt the same way. They had kissed, multiple times and even a few times with an audience. 

Of course they would be dating! 

“It’s just that . . . we never . . . talked about it.” Deku was fiddling with his shirt now, clearly embarrassed and Bakugo sighed, hating how the teen flinched at the noise. 

Glad to see some things didn’t change. 

“I love you, do you love me?” Bakugo held out his hand expectantly and smirked when Deku took it immediately. 

“Of course, I love you. I told you.” Deku leaned forward so that they were looking at each other again. “I love you.”

Well, at least that part was settled. Bakugo felt a little better. 

“Shitty Deku, will you go out with me?” Bakugo smirked as Deku rolled his eyes at him. “I promise to keep you alive and make you take better care of yourself. And when you fuck that up, cause you always get in my way, then I’ll make sure take care of your mom while you’re in a fucking coma or whatever the hell it is you did to yourself.”

Deku’s face went bright red at all of that and Bakugo thought he kind of looked like a strawberry. 

“Kacchan, that sounds more like a pro-proposal . . .” Deku laughed a bit and Bakugo hummed. 

“We’ve known each other our entire lives, Izuku. When I’m in, I’m all in. So you better not halfass this and mess up all my hard work.” Bakugo clicked his tongue. Saying Deku’s real name had felt weird but he figured it was a good way to show how serious he was. 

Deku was just staring at him like he wasn’t sure Bakugo was real and it had the teen worried for a sec that all of this was a dream. He was about to wake up in his dorm and be alone again so he did the only thing he could think of in that moment and he pulled the teen into into a kiss. 

It was soft and Bakugo let himself close his eyes as he pressed against Deku. They both smelled like the hospital's soap but Bakugo could still catch a hint of something that smelled like the air before a lightning storm and he found himself smirking as he started to pull back. 

Deku was here. 

Deku was really here. 

Bakugo flinched as he felt teeth against his bottom lip and opened his eyes in surprise as Deku licked the small wound before pulling Bakugo over him. Deku opened his mouth instantly and Bakugo growled as he kissed the teen. 

Deku. 

Deku. 

They parted with a small pop, both of them panting against each other as Deku smiled up at him. His eyes danced as if he couldn’t contain his happiness. “I’ll marry you Kacchan!” 

“Not until both of you graduate highschool.” Deku sat up at the sound of his mom’s voice, hitting his head against Bakugo’s nose causing both of the teens to groan as they separated. 

Mitsuki just laughed as she slid the door open with a grin. “Oh, you have some visitors!”

…  
…  
…

Natsu and Hinata sighed at the same time, both of them lying in the sun on the ground. Their mom was busy on the phone and they didn’t want to get up, even though it was still cold outside. 

“Will Izuku-chan come back?” Natsu sighed as she rolled over so that she could look at her brother. 

He blinked a bit before he shrugged. “If he does, that means something went wrong again, right? So I hope not. I hope he’s back home.” 

“But he was going to teach me how to be a superhero.” Natsu huffed, blowing out her cheeks before she let the air out and plopped on the ground again. 

School had been cancelled in the district for a few days while the roads were cleared out. Natsu was glad because she didn’t want her brother to bike the hill when the roads were still messed up but she was bored and starting to miss her friends. 

“Hey, Natsu.” Hinata sat up and Natsu perked up at her older brother as he smiled at her. “What if I teach you how to fly?”

Natsu smiled big, getting excited as he brother ran off to get his volleyball. 

Being able to fly was like something a superhero could do, right?

…  
…  
…

Hawks tapped the side of the wall as he watched the dark haired nurse leave the hospital. She paused as she heard the noise and froze a bit when she spotted him before she smiled and walked down the alley so that they were face to face. 

“How’d you know?” Toga smiled as the first bit of muck fell off her. 

“You smell like blood.” Hawks admitted with a shrug as he held his hands up and smiled at her. “Any chance you’ll tell me what your next move is?”

Toga smiled, like he actually said something amusing before she opened her back to pull out a change of clothes. She was never one to be shy about her body and Hawks wasn’t stupid enough to look away from her, even when she was naked. 

“I’m glad Deku is back.” She smiled as she slipped on her underwear before putting on a baggy dress that looked more fashionable with the large belt she had with her. She closed her eyes for a moment as she took a breath before she glared at Hawks. “Killing you is still on the list.”

“Wasn’t going to try and convince you otherwise.” Hawks gave her a cheeky grin as he took a step back, just in case. “But I want to know what Shigaraki is up to.”

Toga hummed, tapping her finger to her lips as she pursed them out as if in deep thought before she shook her head. “You’ll just have to find out like everyone else.”

Hawks shrugged. “Had to try.” 

“Of course you did.” She sneered before she put her shoes on and sighed. “I’m sure your secret warehouse is destroyed by now, so you might have some clean up to do.” 

Hawks smirked, causing her to glare up at him before she rolled her eyes. “So you knew that I had been there?”

“I still have my keen senses.” Hawks tapped his nose. “Tell your boss thanks for cleaning up the mess we left behind. Saves a lot of time when things are destroyed, then we no longer need to pack up.”

“Whatever.” Toga took a few steps before she glared back at him. “Next time, you won’t be able to sense me coming.” 

Hawks didn’t reply, knowing that she probably was right. She had gotten good at covering her tracks and the next time he saw her she would probably stab him again. He gave her a little wave and waited a few minutes before he pulled out his phone and held it against his ear. “See, I told you we wouldn’t get anything from her.”

“I still don’t know why you wanted to see her in the first place.” Endeavor’s voice was deep and Hawks wished he could fly to the man, instead he settled for walking out of the alley and into the hospital. 

“Just wanted to make sure she knew that we knew, that sort of thing.” Hawks laughed as Endeavor gumbled. “Don’t worry about it. I have to get off the phone or they won’t let me see Midoriya, I’ll call you when I’m heading back.”

“Do what you want.” Endeavor’s voice was gruff and Hawks didn’t have a chance to respond before he heard the dial tone. 

Ah, true love. 

…  
…  
…

Ennoshita sat at the table trying not to seem anxious as he waited for Tora to show up. He had decided to do a weekend trip to the city to Tokyo to meet up, and look at stuff for college, but now he was wondering if he was overthinking this. 

Yachi and Ryu were giving him thumbs up from their table that was just far enough that he could pretend he didn’t see them. 

Why had he let them come along? 

Oh yeah, Yachi’s girlfriend was in Tokyo and was letting them crash with her. Ennoshita groaned as he realized how bad he had been neglecting his friend. He hadn’t even realized she had started dating Shirofuku Yukie of all people -- let alone, when had Yachi even started dating a college girl? 

“I’m late!” Tora was suddenly there, breathing in a way that meant he had probably run all the way from the train. “Sorry, my sister held me up!” 

“You’re fine.” Ennoshita smiled before he rubbed the back of his head. “How about you take a seat and I’ll buy us some coffee?” 

“I CAN BUY.” Tora must have realized he was shouting cause his eyes went wide and his cheeks went pink. Ennoshita laughed as he waved the teen off and insisted. 

“Let me get it this time. You can buy the next one.” Ennoshita waited for the teen to sit before he ran to the register to get the two coffees. It was only when he made it to the register that he realized what he had said and found himself blushing. 

Next time? 

That implied he thought there would be more than one date!

Ennoshita glanced over to Yachi and Ryu to see his friends laughing about something. He rolled his eyes, grateful that they were distracted as he got the drinks only to turn around and see what had made them laugh. 

The entire Nekomata team was trying, not successfully, to hide in the cafe and keep an eye on their date. 

Well, Ennoshita thought as he smiled and brought Tora the coffee, this still wasn’t the worst first date he had ever been on. “So what was your sister doing?” 

Tora smiled brightly at that and Ennoshita found himself smiling back. 

…  
…  
…

Deku only made it two steps into the 3-A dorms before he was mobbed by his classmates. He couldn’t help but laugh as they all tried to hug him at the same time, yelling out questions, and at one point - Aoyama seemed like he was about to kiss him - which was the last straw for Bakugo who blasted the air to make everyone step back. 

“Fuck off, let Deku breath!” Kacchan growled and Deku smiled as he grabbed the blond’s hand. 

He could hold Kacchan’s hand now. 

Deku blushed at the thought but was pulled into a hug by Uraraka. Something Kacchan allowed as the blond grumbled but Deku didn’t mind as he hugged his friend back. “We are so glad you are okay!” 

“Sorry for causing trouble this year.” Deku rubbed the back of his head, before he got pulled by Kacchan to the seating area. 

“You have 15 minutes to grill him and then we’re going to my room.” Kacchan announced and everyone seemed to have something to say before they realized he was serious. 

“Will you tell us everything that happened later? With you and Eri? We got a small update from Aizawa-sensei but-” Kirishima started, pausing a bit when Deku nodded. 

“I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. I actually have to go to the school to re-enroll and figure out what to do about being held back a year but I can talk to you all at lunch and-” Deku messed with his fingers as he spoke, still not quite believing he was home with everyone. 

He really was home. 

“You’re being held back?” Mina groaned. 

“He did miss almost an entire year of school.” Iida pointed out before he pointed his hand at Deku causing the teen to smile. “We are all glad you’re back.”

“I’m glad to be back.” Deku smiled and then blushed when Kacchan was suddenly at his side again. “Oh, Kaccahn and I are dating.”

“Gross.” Monoma groaned in the background, as if he didn’t know since he had been in the warehouse when Deku had gotten back. Everyone else seemed to just be startled as they started to ask more questions. 

“Is that all it took to win your heart? They have to save your life?” Uraraka groaned, clearly joking, and it made the rest of the class laugh. 

“Fuck off, no one else had a chance. He’s been mine since he was born and it’s gonna stay that way.” Kacchan grabbed Deku and started to drag him away. “Fucking extras, know your place!” 

“Deku! We’ll be down here for a while if you want to catch up.” Momo shouted, just to make sure he knew, and then they heard a yelp when the elevator dinged and knew that he wasn’t going to respond to her. 

Momo just sighed before she glanced at Monoma and Shinso. “So, will you explain everything that you know?”

“No, I’m too tired.” Monoma grunted, and everyone had to admit the teen looked worn. Instead the blond pointed over to the doors with a sigh. “Let him tell you everything instead.”

Everyone paused before they glanced over, Denki jumping out of his seat with a huge grin. “Mineta!!”

The short teen smiled a bit as he waved. “It’s been a while.”

…  
…  
…

Kenma sat back as he watched the stars. 

They had gone to Karasuno for the weekend for a send off practice match for the third years. It had been a blast but it had also been a moment of him realizing he was done with highschool. 

He was free. 

“I bet the stars like this aren’t anything like Tokyo.” Hinata smiled with a big grin. 

They were all staying in the apartment above Coach Ukai’s store which had been cleared out when Ukai’s parents had moved out. Apparently Ukai and Takeda-sensei were going to be moving in next week but they left it open for the students to use for one night. 

“I prefer the stars in my video games.” Kenma smirked, knowing that Shoyo would just huff at him and the teen did. 

“Hey, has anyone seen Tora? He had my cell charger.” Lev groaned as he made his way into the room. Everyone shrugged before Kageyama glanced up from the recorded match he had been studying that week. 

“Isn’t he staying over Ennoshita’s place tonight?” Kageyama sighed, not realizing some of the expressions on everyone’s faces before he went back to watching his video, clearly not caring. 

Kenma just blinked. 

Good for Tora. 

“Chikara!” Nishinoya laughed, holding Tanaka down as the vice captain talked about defending their captain's honor. “There’s no honor dating, just hormones. Leave them alone.”

Kenma laughed before he glanced over at Tanaka who was rolling his eyes before he met Kenma’s gaze. The teen paused for a moment before he went to sit next to Karasuno’s ace. “I have some files that I copied for Izuku . . . should I give them to Takeda-sensei?” 

Tanaka blinked before he smiled, clearly happy when Kenma had been afraid the teen would be more upset about the mention of their friend who was no longer there. “Take-chan would love that! He’s a big scrapbooker.”

“Hn.” Kenma nodded, not really knowing what scrapbooking was but figured it wasn’t digital so it wasn’t his problem. 

Seemed like Karasuno was doing just fine. 

…  
…  
...

“Are we moving a bit fast?” Deku laughed as Kacchan took off his shirt but he didn’t struggle at all. “I’ve only been back for a week and-”

“We could have been doing this for 18 years.” Kacchan growled and it made Deku’s toes curl in a different way, suddenly feeling a little light headed as Kacchan crowded into his space shirtless. 

Sparring was never going to be the same after this. 

“Well, not 18 years.” Deku laughed. “Maybe two?” 

“That’s still two years of blue balls.” Kacchan pressed his nose against the side of Deku’s face. “And we’ve been sharing the same bed for a week. Hospital bed, dorm bed, and even your stupid bed in All Might’s house-”

“I can’t believe our parents just live in All Might’s home now . . .”

“That’s not the point, nerd. Now take your pants off before I take them off for you.” Kacchan bit Deku’s ear as a warning but instead of taking his pants off, Deku smirked and laid back against the mattress. 

Waiting. 

“You little-” Kacchan was smiling now and Deku couldn’t help but smile back as they collided together. They had always had chemistry, good or bad, but now Deku was getting to experience it in full force and the teen couldn’t help but lick his way into Bakugo’s mouth as soon as they were kissing. 

He wanted to be closer. 

Deku wanted to make sure Kacchan was always with him. 

Deku rolled them over so that Kacchan was beneath him and smiled before kissing the blond’s neck. Kacchan growled and it was the only warning Deku got before Deku was being flipped on the mattress so that he was on his back and Kacchan’s hands were under his pants and grabbing his ass while slipping the pants off at the same time. 

Kacchan had always been an overachiever. 

“No more necking, I’m going to be inside you or you inside me and we’re going to fuck.” Kacchan slid Deku’s pants off the rest of the way while the teen sputtered. Once they were tossed as far as possible from the bed, Kacchan started undoing his pants. “Now be a good boy and choose how you want it.”

Deku’s face was bright red and he was afraid of choking on the words as Kacchan slid out of his own pants. 

They were going to do it. 

Do it. 

Sex. 

“You have class tomorrow so maybe you should top this time?” Deku chirped out, hating how excited he felt as Kacchan smiled down at him. 

“Oh, lucky you get to take the rest of the year off and try to catch up on things.” Kacchan grabbed Deku’s hips and pulled the teen to him so that he was between Deku’s legs. The blond just smirked before he kissed Deku’s stomach and glanced up at the teen. “Or is it lucky me?”

Deku didn’t get a chance to respond because Kacchan was licking his already hard erection and the teen found himself stretching out, as if trying to make himself larger to water the electrical current of pleasure that encompassed him as the Kacchan sucked him down. 

He was going to cum and they hadn’t even started. 

“Kach-” Deku grabbed the blond’s hair and tried to get the blond off him. “I’m gonna-”

Kacchan let go of Deku’s cock with a vulgar pop as he smiled at the teen. “Virgin boy going to cum from a blowjob in two seconds?”

Deku grunted as Kacchan licked hima again before he huffed out. “You’re a virgin too!”

“Not for long.” Kacchan bit the inside of Deku’s thigh before going down again and Deku just closed his eyes and let Kacchan at it. The blond’s mouth was hot and wet and if Deku had thought that Kacchan had been a good kisser then he hadn’t been prepared for the teen’s mouth sucking him off. 

Kacchan’s mouth was just sinful. 

“Fffffffuck.” Deku groaned as he came in Kacchan’s mouth, he had tried to warn the teen but Kacchan had just sucked harder and now Deku was blinking at the ceiling trying to remember where his brain was. 

“Did you just swear?” Kacchan was in his face with a smirk and Deku could feel his boyfriend’s erection against him as the blonde bent down to kiss him. “That’s hot.”

Deku cringed into the kiss as he realized what he was tasting and Kacchan laughed at him as the teen pulled away. There was some shuffling, Deku finding the lube and condoms while Kacchan went to brush his teeth so that Deku would let them kiss again. Deku found himself laughing at how easy it all seemed now and wondered what took them so long. 

“What’s so funny?” Kacchan kissed the back of Deku’s neck before pushing the teen forward so that Deku was on his stomach and grabbing the lube. 

“Remember when we got house arrest in our first year?” Deku sighed, still feeling relaxed as he got on his knees to help Kacchan out before yelping at Kacchan bit his ass. “Really?”

“Just seeing how tight it is.” Kacchan smirked and Deku felt a dribble of lube and suddenly a finger was pressing against him. Not going in but just rubbing. “Yeah, I remember. How could I forget beating you into the ground.”

Deku smirked at that before he sighed. “I was laughing because I realized that I should have just kissed you then and then we could have had three days of sex with no one in the building to distract us.”

“Fuck, you’re right.” Kacchan huffed before suddenly the finger was going inside and Deku let out his breath as he relaxed into the sensation. Kacchan just clicked his tongue and then Deku felt another finger. “Have you been practicing?”

Deku felt his cheeks heat up at that, not wanting to admit that he had just assumed he would bottom and had been trying to stretch himself since he had gotten back. 

That would be weird right?

“God, you’ve definitely been playing with yourself. You better show me next time.” Kacchan sounded like he was even more affected by what he was doing than Deku was and the green haired teen couldn’t help but groan at the thought about what was to come. His cock was already ready and waiting for action as it dangled between his legs and the teen wasn’t going to be able to wait for much longer. 

“Kacchan, please.” Deku reached back to grab at the blond but his hand was slapped away. 

“Keep your balance, I’m going to be in you soon.” There was some noise and more lube was poured down Deku’s backside before suddenly the fingers were gone and Deku heard the sound of foil ripping and knew that Kacchan was putting on the condom. 

Soon. 

Kacchan was going to be inside him. 

“Please.” Deku found himself panting, not sure on how to get things moving faster but he needed, he really needed Kacchan to be inside him. 

“Needy, should’ve guessed.” Kacchan’s hands were on his hips and Deku let out a breath as he felt Kacchan pressing into him. 

It was big. 

Full. 

Deku gasped, letting his eyes flutter as Bakugo continued to press into him and he wished he was on his back so he could kiss the teen but had to settle for drooling into his pillow as Kacchan pressed all the way inside. He was so full. 

“I’m going to move now.” Kacchan’s voice sounded torn and Deku would have taken a victory in that except all he could do was nod and then Kacchan was moving. It was a bizarre feeling, being full and then having that fullness leave you only to come right back again. Deku could lift one arm and pressed it against his stomach, sure that he would be able to feel it moving in him. 

Big. 

So big. 

“Fuck, I’m going to cum.” Kacchan grunted and Deku moaned at the thought before smirking as he turned to the blond. 

“So soon? What a virgin.” Deku tried to tease but then Kacchan sped up his thrusts and all Deku could do was gasp for hair as fell forward. So good. It was so good. 

“Ha!” Kacchan grunted, his voice strained, and then Deku felt a warm hand on his dick. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we come together this time.”

Deku couldn’t argue with that as he let himself just feel everything. His skin was sweaty and sticky, his breath was ragged, and Deku wondered if this is what they sounded like at the gym before he moaned as Kacchan started pressing deep inside him. 

So close. 

They were so close. 

“Deku, I love you.” Kacchan’s voice was suddenly so close and Deku didn’t have a chance to say anything as he came in the teen’s hand. His hips moving back to try and meet Kacchan’s thrusts and then the blond was shoving him against the mattress, as if Bakugo was trying to merge their bodies together even more and Deku found he didn’t mind as they both tried to catch their breaths. 

…  
…  
…

Takeda sighed as he took one last look at his empty apartment before he shut the door. Ukai was standing outside, waiting for him, and he smiled a bit as they both made their way down to the car with the last of his stuff. 

“A lot of memories in that place.” Ukai commented, clearly trying to see how Takeda felt and the older man smiled. 

“Change is good. That apartment was perfect for that chapter of my life.” The older man got in the car and grabbed Ukai’s hand. “Personally, I’m excited about the next one.”

The both blushed before looking away. 

Takeda couldn’t help but smirk as Ukai started the car. “And it’ll be nice to live somewhere that doesn’t have a threatening message on the ceiling. Still couldn’t get it out after I tried painting over it.” 

“Ha!” Ukai laughed. “Too bad you won’t get your depots back, but I guess we’ll allow it this time. Next time Midoriya visits, he’ll have to pay a deposit to stay with us.”

Takeda smirked at that and let himself hold Ukai’s hand as they made their way back to Ukai’s store. Izuku wasn’t going to come back and Takeda was okay with that. 

Everyone had to move on to their next chapter. 

…  
…  
…

“I don’t think this is what our parents meant when they told us to get washed up.” Deku groaned as he held Kacchan against the shower wall, the blond teen’s legs over his shoulder as the teen pressed inside. “Kacchan . . .”

“Fuck me harder, I want to feel it all through dinner.” Kacchan groaned as he threw his head back, revealing his neck. “C’mon Deku, show me what you got.”

“Kacchan.” Deku grit his teeth together before he bit the teen’s neck and started to pound the blond into the wall. 

Bakugo was going to be graduating in a few weeks and while Deku had been happy for his friend he was beginning to realize that he was being left behind. He wondered if that’s why Kacchan had gotten more physical lately, or maybe they had always been physical but Deku hadn’t really noticed until it had turned sexual. 

“Fuck, Deku, yes!” 

They ended up showing up to dinner late which was only made awkward when they realized that All Might had been sent to get them and the older man wouldn’t look them in the eye. Deku forced them to sleep in different rooms until Kacchan promised no more sex in All Might’s house. 

…  
…  
…

Hawks gasped from his seat on Endeavor’s lap, trying to keep quiet as the man finished answering emails for the day. 

It would have been a lot easier if Endeavor’s cock wasn’t already inside him. The blond felt stretched to the brim but wasn’t able to move to get the friction he desperately wanted until Enji was done. This had been his idea, a way to try and get the older man in the mood fast but Hawks was now regretting it as he tried to subtly move his hips. 

“Only two more emails and then I’m done.” Endeavor’s hand was large and warm on Hawks’ hip, keeping the younger man still as he tried to take deep breaths. 

“Endeavor-san.” Hawks let out a gaspy breath and let his head fall back on the man’s chest. He could make it, the reward would be amazing and it would all be worth it. 

Endeavor adjusted his legs to reach for a piece of paper on his desk and Hawks nearly came as he slid further down Endeavor’s cock. He felt the trilling noise escape his throat and he couldn’t control it as he tried to keep himself still. 

Close. Full. Filled. 

Hawks was going to come and he didn’t think he could stop it. The younger man sucked in a breath as the hand that was on his hip moved to brush against his aching cock and he groaned as he came all over his chest, thankfully keeping it on himself and not getting on Endeavor’s laptop . . . like last time. 

“You were so close, I only had one email left.” Endeavor’s voice was deep in his year and Hawks just trilled again, needed more time before he could be coherent. The older man chuckled and that was the only warning Hawks got before he was suddenly lifted in the air. The younger man squirmed, Endeavor’s hard cock still inside him, but he couldn’t help but moan happily as he realized they were heading to the bedroom. 

The bedroom always meant good things were about to happen. 

“You did good.” Endeavor placed a kiss to the side of Hawks head and the blond turned so they could deepen it into a real kiss. 

It might not have been Hawks original plan to stay after Deku was back, but the blond was beginning to see no other option. He wouldn’t give this up for anything in the world. 

…  
…  
…

“YAKU! KROSHKA!” 

Eri laughed as she watched Yaku kick Lev in the side at the international airport. The professional volleyball player had some time off and had decided to come home and Lev had been adamant that they were the ones to pick up the love of his life. 

Eri probably should have warned her son that Yaku probably knew enough russian now that pet names would be a no go. 

Ah, young love. 

She was glad she wasn’t missing this. These moments of her children’s lives where she got to be there and support them. She thought of the family she left behind but she knew she wouldn’t have been able to give this up. 

“Thanks for picking me up from the airport, Haiba-san.” Yaku smiled at her and Eri pulled the young man into a hug knowing that he wouldn’t fight her on it. 

“Always a pleasure, Yaku-chan.” Eri smiled when she realized that her son was carrying all of Yaku’s bags with a huge smile on his face. She turned to the both of them. “Let’s grab some food on the way home. Anything that you’ve been missing since you’ve been away?”

“Aside from me, of course.” Lev smiled brightly and Eri was pleased that Yaku blushed slightly at those words before the young man smiled at her. 

“I could really eat sushi.” Yaku held the door open for her and Eri smiled at him as they made the way to her car. 

These moments were worth it. 

…  
…  
…

“Nejire-chan, you’re going to stay in Japan?” Midnight smiled brightly as she passed the girl another drink. “So glad to have you back.”

“Glad to be back!” Nejire laughed as she leaned against Mirio’s side. The blond laughed at his friends as they tried to act cool in front of their former teachers. Midnight, Mic, and Eraserhead had become a huge part of his life, he was glad to share a moment of it with Tamaki and Nejire. 

“Are you still dating Kirishima?” Mic asked Tamaki and Mirio tried not to laugh as Tamaki turned pink. 

“Yes.” Tamaki’s voice was quiet but it was clear that Mic heard him all the same as the man smiled.

“Good, I think he’s a good fit for you.” Mic hit Tamaki on the shoulder before leaning into Aizawa’s side with a grin. “Did they figure out what to do with Midoriya?”

“He’s going to have to take a full third year. He really only got two weeks of classes before he disappeared so he can’t just test out like Mirio did. Also, he lost muscle in the other world so he has to retrain his body to get it to where it was before.” Aizawa was staring off to the side of the room but no one said anything, he was clearly paying attention to them even if his eyes were distracted. The man blinked as if realizing what he was doing before turning to Mic. “He’s going to be in Snipe’s 3-A class which works for the best since I’m taking a year off.”

“Now we can finally have our honeymoon!” Mirio laughed, enjoying how all his friends cheered and Shota blushed at him. 

It wasn’t long before Aizawa’s gaze filtered back to the far wall and Mirio found his eyes moving that way as well. It had been rearranged with new pictures of Eri, showing her as she grew up and pictures with her new family. Midoriya had been back for weeks now but Mirio knew that it all still felt fresh for so many people, himself included. 

Mirio knew that Aizawa was happy, and was glad that Eri had found happiness, but that didn’t mean they suddenly didn’t feel her absence. She had been such a big part of what brought them together. 

“I heard that Bakugo is going to start his own agency.” Nejire glanced at Mirio as if he should know. “Is he?”

“Yeah, but he’s teaming up with a former pro hero to make it happen so I think he’ll be okay.” Aizawa smirked into his drink. “My real problem student keeps trying to sneak back into class even though technically he shouldn’t be on campus.”

“I think it’s cute, Midoriya’s passion for learning.” Midnight pursed her lips before she purred. “I’m glad that I’ll have a chance to nurture him some more.”

“And you are officially cut off.” Mic took Midnight’s drink away. “You know the rules. No more booze when you make weird innuendo about the students.”

“Nooooo.” Midnight tried to get it back but Nejire just pulled her into a hug instead which ended up being the perfect distraction. 

Mirio laughed before he felt fingers interlace with his over the table and he found himself staring at Aizawa who smiled back. 

They would be okay. 

…  
…  
…

Tanaka was ready. He had survived graduation, college orientation, and now he was finally going to ask Kiyoko to date him. 

He could do it. 

“There you are!” Tanaka paused and Ennoshita ran up, his boyfriend Tora right behind him. Both teens were wearing matching scarfs and Tanaka hated them a little for it but in only that he was jealous and nothing else. 

Honestly, he was happy for Ennoshita . . . though he still thought his friend could do better. 

“We were supposed to meet at the South Exit, man.” Tora groaned and Ennoshita laughed before he realized what Tanaka was holding. 

“Wait, are those-”

“Why do you have flowers?” Tanaka felt his face heat up as he turned to see Daichi, Sugawara, Asahi, and Kiyoko standing together. Asahi was still looking at the flowers quizzically but Tanaka could tell that Suga and Ennoshita had caught on because they were suddenly trying to drag the interlopers away. 

“Hey Tora, I think I left my phone at the coffee shop, let’s go-” Ennoshita started. 

“You’re holding your phone.” Tora pointed out, not catching any clues. 

“Oh, Asahi, Daichi, let’s go to that store!” Suga tried to pull the men away but Daichi just grabbed Suga’s hand with a confused smile. 

“Why? I thought we were going to tell them?” Daichi pulled Suga closer to him with a grin and Tanaka could not believe that Daichi was going to steal his thunder like this . . . but it was his fault for not planning this better. 

“Maybe now is not the right-”

“We’re dating! I asked Suga out.” Daichi smiled brightly and Tanaka was so honestly happy that he handed the flowers to the new couple. 

It was honestly about time. 

“Congrats!” Tanaka laughed and Suga took the flowers, clearly trying to help Tanaka save face. Everyone chatted for a bit before they started to head over to the stadium where a practice match with Italy and Japan was going to happen in a little while. They had all wanted to spend some time together now that they were in the same city and volleyball and felt like the best way to make it happen. 

“Sorry.” Ennoshita tapped his shoulder into Tanaka’s and the teen smiled right back. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not in a rush. I waited three years, I can wait a while longer.” 

If Kiyoko ended up being the one to ask him out at the end of the match, no one was more surprised than Tanaka. 

Finally. 

…  
…  
…

“Are you really starting an agency with Hawks?” Deku looked at the small office space and had to admit he was jealous, even if he was a little confused. Deku had imagined a lot of things when Bakugo officially started his hero career -- usually involving both starting an agency together where they would both compete for the number one spot and bring out the best in each other as they saved the day. 

Hawks had never been involved. 

“How does Tokoyami feel about that?” Deku was honestly curious as he turned to the blond only to have Hawks standing right behind him. “Ah!”

“Tokoyami is going to side kick for Endeavor, so we’ll still see each other.” Hawks smiled before he took the box from Deku. “Your boyfriend is checking the locker room.”

Deku laughed before he passed the man and found Kacchan in the locker room soaking wet as water continued to spray from the sink that looked like it had been ripped from the wall. “What happened?!”

“I was just fucking washing my hands and the fucking sink just broke.” Kacchan got his hair out of his face before he glanced up at Deku and smirked. Which was honestly unfair because he looked way too good in his soaked tee shirt that seemed to know exactly where to cling to him. “How was school today, sweetheart?”

Deku felt his face heat up, his UA uniform made him feel younger but he just rolled his eyes as he ran over to turn off the water. Deku sighed, his uniform was wet now as well but at least the water had stopped but now he had a new problem of his boyfriend leaning into his space. Not that it was really a problem. 

“How is the agency coming together, Ground Zero?” Deku smirked and as he leaned against the wall, not minding the couple of inches Kacchan had on him as the blond pressed his nose against the teen’s temple. 

“Everything is either broken, lost in the mail, or somehow the wrong color. My agency partner doesn’t have a license so I have to do all the damn paperwork, and my boyfriend is still in highschool so sadly he can’t stay out past a silly curfew.” Kacchan growled, biting Deku’s cheek lightly as he smirked. “I’m having the time of my life. How about you?”

“I’m trying to think of a way to get my boyfriend out of his wet clothes before he gets sick.” Deku started undoing his tie and liked the way Kacchan’s eyes followed each of his movements. “Do you think we can come up with something together?”

“If you’re going to fuck in the office can at least have the decency to wait until we have doors?” Hawks yawned at the entrance to the locker room before he smirked. “Unless this is an invitation for me to join then-”

The ex-pro hero had to duck from the explosion that was sent his way but Deku knew Hawks was okay since he heard laughing down the hall. The teen sighed before he grabbed Kacchan’s wet shirt and pulled the pro hero into a kiss. 

Yeah, things were looking good. 

…  
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** THE END.  **

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**STORY NOTES**  
Here is a bit of background for the fic in case anyone is interested! Otherwise you are officially done with the story and don’t need to read anything below! 

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Chapter Titles  
The title of each chapter is lyrics from the song ‘I need a Hero’ - for your reference, here are the lyrics I wasn’t able to use since the story didn’t go that long: 

Through the wind, and the chill, and the rain  
And the storm, and the flood  
I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood  
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night  
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast  
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight  
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light  
He's gotta be sure  
And it's gotta be soon  
And he's gotta be larger than life

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Original Idea  
This fic is something that I thought up basically as soon as we were introduced to Eri and Chisaki in the manga. I originally planned for Deku, Eri, and Chisaki to be sent to the HQ world but all of them would be in the same time period. I’ll admit, I was OBSESSED with Overhaul and really wanted to find a way to make all their personalities work in a world without quirks and they would be the only people they knew. 

Still am a little obsessed with Chisaki, I’ll admit. 

In the story, Chisaki would have ended up in Tokyo where he would have to deal with a very different type of yakuza and end up seeing the error of his ways and start living his life in an attempt to get forgiveness from Eri and Deku. It basically would have been him finally realizing the lessons his boss always tried to teach him. 

Eri would be adopted by a nice couple with lots of energy who would later turn out to be Bokuto’s grandparents and she would be his aunt. She would spend her life working with orphans or abused kids and eventually would have to confront Chisaki later in her life. 

Deku would be found by old man Ukai and basically raised as a surrogate grandson much to the aggravation of his actual grandson Keishin. But Deku would end up getting taken in by the Takeda family and essentially, he would grow up to be Takeda-sensei. It was going to be a Ukai falling in love with Deku (as Takeda) story! They would have grown up together and Deku would also feel like their romance was what should have happened with Bakugo and Ukai would have some self-esteem issues about a blond he never met. In the HQ world, 20+ years would have passed. 

In the MHA world, only three months would have passed and so by the time Bakugo came to save them everyone would be much older. Bakugo would still convince Deku to come back with him and the whole Karasuno team would watch in shock as their beloved Takeda-sensei ran off into a portal, slowly aging down and becoming the Deku that we all know and love. Eri and Chisaki would stay behind because they found new peaceful lives without their quirks. 

It was very convoluted BUT it was the original idea that eventually became the fic you just read! Clearly, I changed things. I think the changes make more sense, haha. I’m always curious about how some people’s fic some together so I thought I would add this at the end of the story in case anyone was interested! 

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**THANK YOU FOR READING!**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content Warnings:**  
>  -Bakugo/Deku Sex  
> -Deku/Bakugo Sex  
> -Endeavor/Hawks Sex  
> -Endings and emotions
> 
> Reviews are always welcome! 
> 
> Thank you again for joining me on this ride. Hope you liked it. Right now I'm considering my next fic which my be a regency MHA AU that focuses on TodoIida or finished my Naruto fanfic SET FIRE TO OUR HOMES - it might end up being both! That said, if you ever want to stay up to date on what I'm working on then feel free to follow my twitter at @The_Art_Boss. It is mainly fanart retweets with fic updates in between. 
> 
> THANK YOU!!!


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